The A.J. Muste Foundation was established by members of the War Resisters League to offer safe space to grassroots organizations threatened by government surveillance and harassment. From its start at a borrowed desk run by volunteers in lower Manhattan,  the Foundation gained tax-exempt status in 1974 and began raising money to help grassroots projects through grants and fiscal sponsorships. Both a shelter and a hub, the Foundation has grown into a non-profit charitable foundation for innovative organizing across the nation and the globe.

Testimonials from Our Grantees

From Chiapas to Palestine, I’m impressed by what humble people are doing, with virtually no resources, in the face of devastating inhumanity. The Muste Foundation funds grassroots, creative, enthusiastic groups that don’t shy away from a magnitude of challenges and, instead, put all their bets on making “miracles” with few resources but ample conviction. Maria Delgado, Uruguayan Human Rights Activist

Muste’s shared space is a place for NYSYLC's undocumented youth to organize: unafraid and unapologetic. We host monthly workshops, training on speaking to media, scholarship application assistance, and legal clinics. Our members know that coming to our office means coming to a safe space. Funding from the Foundation helps us fulfill our commitment to each other to keep the NYSYLC open, regardless of uncertainty and threats in the political moment. We will not step back - instead, we will continue to organize within the power of our youth! New York State Youth Leadership Council

More than 8,000 people are serving life sentences in NYS. Parole Preparation Project trains volunteers to work alongside those who are parole-eligible, the vast majority of whom are repeatedly denied, as they prepare to go before the Board of Parole. Being a part of the Muste community has been such a gift for the Parole Prep Project. For the first time, we have our own space and are close to other organizations doing powerful and transformative work. There's so much potential for growth and collaboration. We finally feel like we have a home. Parole Preparation Project

As we settle into our new home and face the challenges brought on by a despotic administration, we vow to love and protect each other as seriously as ever. In the Foundation's common spaces, we link economic justice with gender justice, militarism at home with imperialism abroad, and bring neighbors together as comrades. We create sanctuary where there is danger, and stand together. War Resisters League