Announcing The Rising Fund & Our First Funding Initiative
We’re excited to launch The Rising Fund, New Rising Ventures’ multi-year commitment to backing the builders, dreamers, and innovators who are reimagining democracy—not just as a political system, but as a force for shared power and collective infrastructure.
At this critical moment in history, we recognize the widening gaps left by policy and governance. Whether in civic engagement, media infrastructure, immigration, or women’s rights (among many others), these failures demand urgent action and bold ideas.
But transformative ideas don’t just emerge on their own. They need investment, infrastructure, and long-term support to take root and scale. That’s where we come in. Through The Rising Fund, we are committing to resourcing and amplifying the people and movements stepping into the gaps.
In the years ahead, our investments and programming will be anchored in three core principles:
Catalyzing Inflection Points: Identifying and investing in key moments where change is possible, accelerating movements that turn disruption into transformation.
Radical Reconstruction: Dismantling inequitable systems and building new models rooted in justice and collective power.
Amplifying Ownership: Shifting control over resources, technology, and narratives in bold ways.
Change happens at key moments of pressure—when systems reach a breaking point and communities are ready to rise. These inflection points create opportunities to shift power, ensuring that communities, not corporations or politicians, define our collective future. We are in one of those moments now.
But transformation requires more than just responding to crises. It demands bold action to dismantle outdated structures and build a new blueprint. The systems we’ve inherited were never built for everyone; they were designed to protect the interests of the few. Rather than working within broken foundations, we must radically reconstruct them, designing new models shaped by the people, for the people, with the people.
And for lasting change, we must redefine ownership. We know that ownership is power. Yet in too many areas—data, media, and technology—control remains in the hands of a few bad actors who shape our daily lives for profit. We’ve seen what happens when corporations dictate public discourse and private interests control essential resources. A just future requires shifting ownership into the hands of the people, ensuring that power is distributed, not hoarded.
This isn’t just about resisting existing systems. It’s about creating something entirely new. Our goal is to catalyze values-aligned innovations that ensure democracy truly serves all of us, especially those from communities long denied power and participation.
Responsible AI Funding Cycle
To launch this vision, our first major initiative under The Rising Fund is our Responsible AI Funding Cycle. AI is rapidly shaping our democracy, economy, and daily lives, but who is it serving? As we begin to phase in these core principles, we’re seeking innovators building AI-driven solutions that protect communities, advance equity, and shift power away from extractive systems.
We’re especially interested in solutions that:
Strengthen trustworthy media ecosystems—AI-powered tools or platforms that counter disinformation, democratize information access, amplify trusted sources, challenge corporate influence over media and culture in new and unexpected ways, etc.
Reimagine civic engagement—AI applications that foster democratic participation, make institutions more accessible, bolster community organizing or create new pathways for community-led decision-making, etc.
Enhance civic life and public interest technology—AI innovations that strengthen community infrastructure, or improve access to essential resources in areas like worker and immigrant rights, climate resilience, reproductive and LGBTQ+ protections, and beyond.
Additionally, we are looking for:
Early-stage organizations with bold ideas and community-rooted leadership
Solutions with strong potential to scale
Organizations where a $50K grant/investment would be truly catalytic
Teams based in the U.S. or working toward national impact
To learn more and submit an intake form, visit our website. Please note that nonprofit innovation will be prioritized for this cycle.
More information on New Media Ventures’ (NMV) upcoming initiatives and fund, which will focus on supporting transformative progressive political media and tech, will be announced shortly.