What is Mutual Aid? Mutual aid is when people get together to meet each other's basic survival needs with a shared understanding that the systems we live under are not going to meet our needs and we can do it together (bigdoorbrigade.com).
Below is a growing list of mutual aids by state, as well as community-led organizations, social justice organizations, and arts-based orgs working for and with communities.
In addition, I recommend checking out Diné Aesthetic(s)’s curated list of Indigenous lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) artists that people can financially support or follow: https://dineaesthetics.com/indigenous-lgbtq2s-artists/
Hashtags to follow: #SettlerSaturday (day dedicated to settlers giving money/gifts to Indigenous people), #MutualAid (a quick way to find paypal and donation links to donate directly to people).
Before you start take a moment to learn the original stewards of the land you’re on, their history (both past and present), and how to help/contribute to those communities today by going to: http://native-land.ca.
Please note: I’m adding links as I see them, this list is not definitive or complete. Please do not use it to substitute your own research.
National
Seeding Sovereignty
In a time of climate crisis, Seeding Sovereignty; an Indigenous-led collective, works on behalf of our global community to shift social and environmental paradigms by dismantling colonial institutions and replacing them with Indigenous practices created in synchronicity with the land.
https://seedingsovereignty.org/
Indigenous Seed Keepers Network
Promoting Indigenous culturally diversity for future generations by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants.
https://nativefoodalliance.org/our-programs-2/indigenous-seedkeepers-network/
Stop AAPI Hate
In response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center on March 19, 2020. The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
Our approach recognizes that in order to effectively address anti-Asian racism we must work to end all forms of structural racism leveled at Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.
https://stopaapihate.org/
ALABAMA
Ekvn-Yefolecv
Ekvn-Yefolecv (ee-gun yee-full-lee-juh) is an intentional ecovillage community of Indigenous Maskoke persons who, after 180 years of having been forcibly removed from traditional homelands - in what is commonly/colonially known as Alabama - have returned for the purpose of practicing linguistic, cultural and ecological sustainability.
https://www.ekvn-yefolecv.org/
Arizona
Kinlani Mutual Aid
An all-volunteer community response to the threat of Covid-19. We have organized a hub to coordinate volunteers to collect and distribute necessary resources to those most vulnerable in our community and support unsheltered relatives. This group is created for autonomous relief organizing based on the principles of mutual aid, solidarity, and direct action.
https://kinlanimutualaid.org/
California
Al Otro lado
We are a bi-national, social justice legal services organization serving indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico. Our mission is to provide legal services and to uplift our immigrant communities by defending the rights of migrants against systemic injustices in the legal system. Our comprehensive cross-border programming and litigation work integrate trauma-informed practices.
https://alotrolado.org/
Little TOkyo Service Center
The mission of Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) is to provide a comprehensive array of social welfare and community development services to assist low income individuals and other persons in need, contribute to community revitalization and cultural preservation in Little Tokyo and among the broader Japanese community in the Southland, and to provide such resources to neighboring Asian Pacific Islander and other low income communities.
https://www.ltsc.org/
Color Compton
An organization geared towards working with the youth to build community relationships among people of color while exploring identity, and creating art. Grounded on history, students will be introduced to concepts and history to engage in dialogue and use art mediums to develop their own narratives through collective engagement. All students will be able to gain leadership skills and play a critical role in community activism.
https://www.colorcompton.org
GEORGIA
METRO ATLANTA MUTUAL AID
The Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund was created by community members from metro-Atlanta who have witnessed the needs of their neighbors at this time of crisis. While COVID-19 is a health pandemic, it has crippled economies and interrupted markets, causing wide-spread unemployment. Our concern is not with fixing the economy but instead with meeting the needs of people left with uncertainty and disruption.
https://www.atlantamutualaid.org/
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta
Please help support Georgia's Asian American communities. This donation page was created to help the victims and their families impacted by the violent acts that took place on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
All donation amounts are appreciated and will go directly to support the victims and their families and to support crisis intervention across the AAPI community.
https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/support-georgias-asian-american-community/
SOUTHERN FRIED QUEER PRIDE
Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) is an Atlanta-based (on Muscogee & Cherokee land) organization empowering Black queer and QTPOC centered communities in the South through the arts. Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) was born out of a lack of space for Black and brown queer folks to build community, a lack of queer art, and in opposition of the established narrative of Southern queers. The South is home to the country’s largest population of LGBTQIQAP2+ individuals, yet we’re confined to a narrative of stigma, statistics, and struggle. SFQP fights that notion, and is aiding in uplifting a honest narrative of resilience, rich history, and vibrance.
http://www.southernfriedqueerpride.com/
Hawai’i
Hawai’i Peopleʻs Fund
Hawaiʻi Peopleʻs Fund has helped to support, build capacity, and amplify the impact of grassroots social change movements in Hawaiʻi since 1972.
No other organization specifically addresses the needs of grassroots progressive movement building in Hawaiʻi. As the only intermediary organization in Hawaiʻi working with this constituency from a social justice perspective, we strive to be a model for progressive social change and a viable resource for a strong and enduring movement in the islands.
Hawai‘i People’s Fund supports passionate, grassroots community groups working for social justice in Hawai‘i. These groups are often considered too small, too new, or too controversial by traditional funding organizations. We are dedicated to the most creative, passionate, and radical visions of community, bravely navigating the intersections of indigeneity, environment, race, class, labor, gender, art, technology, mental health, incarceration, food, and other crucial issues we face.
https://www.hawaiipeoplesfund.org
Mauna Kea Education and Awareness
Our mission is to educate and raise the awareness of communities in Hawai’i and beyond on the spiritual, historical, cultural, environmental, and political significance of Mauna Kea and provide cultural learning opportunities to everyone from keiki to kupuna, residents, visitors, and others concerned about native and cultural rights and responsibilities in order to create a platform for the protection of sacred places and for social justice and positive change.
https://www.mkea.info/
Illinois
Sweet Water Foundation
Sweet Water Foundation practices Regenerative Neighborhood Development, a creative and regenerative social justice method, that creates safe and inspiring spaces and curates healthy, intergenerational communities that transform the ecology of so-called ”blighted” neighborhoods. Sweet Water Foundation utilizes a blend of urban agriculture, art, and education to transform vacant spaces and abandoned buildings into economically and ecologically productive and sustainable community assets that produce engaged youth, art, locally-grown food, and affordable housing.
https://www.sweetwaterfoundation.com/
Chicago Artists Relief Fund
A grassroots funding effort by & for Chicago artists experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19.
https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoArtistsReliefFund/
KENTUCKY
APPALACHIAN ARTISAN CENTER OF KENTUCKY
The purpose of the Appalachian Artisan Center is to develop the economy of eastern Kentucky through our arts, culture, and heritage. We are dedicated to supporting artists by helping them create and grow successful businesses. The Center provides assistance to artists in many ways including business plan development, training and continuing education opportunities, studio space, and a venue to sell and exhibit their work.
https://www.artisancenter.net/
LOUISIANA
TGNC Crisis Funding Circle
The TGNC Crisis Funding Circle Louisiana is a small group of trans individuals in Louisiana who are convening now to collect and disburse funds to trans and gender-nonconforming individuals who face increased financial hardship due to COVID-19.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/tgncLA
Massachusetts
Nuestras Raíces
Nuestras Raíces is a grassroots urban agriculture organization based in Holyoke, MA. Our mission is to create healthy environments, celebrate “agri-culture,” harness our collective energy, and to advance our vision of a just and sustainable future.
City Life/Vida Urbana
City Life/Vida Urbana is a grassroots community organization committed to fighting for racial, social and economic justice and gender equality by building working class power. We promote individual empowerment, develop community leaders and build collective power to effect systemic change and transform society.
http://www.clvu.org/
MICHIGAN
oakland avenue urban farm
The nation’s first "Agri-Cultural” urban landscape in Detroit’s North End. The Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, a program of North End Christian Community Development Corporation, is a non-profit,community-base organization dedicated to cultivating healthy foods, sustainable economies, and active cultural environments.
http://www.oaklandurbanfarm.org/
MINNESOTA
SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ARTS
Springboard for the Arts is an economic and community development organization for artists and by artists. From our offices in Fergus Falls and Saint Paul, MN, Springboard provides programs that help artists make a living and a life, and programs that help communities connect to the creative power of artists. Springboard for the Arts’ mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the skills, information, and services they need to make a living and a life. Our work is about creating communities and artists that have a reciprocal relationship, where artists are key contributors to community issues and are visible and valued for the impact they create.
https://springboardforthearts.org/
MississippI
sipp culture
The Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Sipp Culture) is honoring the history and building the future of Utica, MS. Our work weaves together research, development, local agricultural, with contemporary media & storytelling to promote the legacy and vision of our hometown. Our place-based model program will promote economic empowerment and self-sufficiency of low- and moderate-income people through education, technical assistance, training, and mentoring in agribusiness. Additionally, it will work with the community to create an advocacy base to lobby and establish increased broadband access in this rural community – a key to sustainable community development in the 21st century. http://sippculture.com/
Cooperative Community of New West Jackson
The Cooperative Community of New West Jackson (CO-OP NWJ) is a grassroots, resident-led development model that seeks to revitalize West Jackson, MS through an inventive “inside out” strategy. Our mission is to find sustainable solutions to the chronic economic and social challenges we face by matching residents’ underemployed skillsets and abandoned property resources with a creative placemaking effort that centers on local food production, folk art, and the construction trades.
https://www.coopnwj.org/
MONTANA
YELLOW BIRD LIFE WAYS CENTER
Yellow Bird, is a non-profit organization, founded by Phillip Whiteman Jr. Northern Cheyenne Traditional Chief and Lynette Two Bulls, Oglala Lakota. We are located on the beautiful Northern Cheyenne Homelands in Southeastern Montana. Mission: To provide programming to preserve our traditional life-ways and language; empower native communities through social change; protect mother earth; promote healthy lifestyles; and to create cultural understanding and integrity. Yellow Bird has been providing community programing for over 20 years.
https://www.yellowbirdlifeways.org
new mexico
zuni youth enrichment project
Our mission is to promote resilience among Zuni youth, so that they will grow into strong and healthy adults who are connected with Zuni traditions. We pursue our mission by offering empowering and enriching activities that encourage youth to grow into strong and healthy adults who are connected with Zuni traditions. We believe that every child should be able to reach his or her full potential.
https://www.zyep.org/
THREE SISTERS COLLECTIVE
Three Sisters Collective was established in 2017, born out of a desire to create safe spaces of engagement for Indigenous people in Oga Pogeh/Santa Fe, NM. We are an Oga Pogeh (Santa Fe) based Pueblo/Indigenous women-led grassroots organization We engage in land-based praxis that restores wellness and uplifts traditional lifeways with an emphasis on art, actionism, education, and community building. Since our inception, 3SC has been instrumental in many community-based initiatives, mutual aid efforts, and art-based projects.
https://threesisterscollective.org/
new york
Astoria Mutual Aid
A group of neighbors working together to support our community and each other, through the challenges of COVID-19. #AstoriaStrong
https://www.instagram.com/astoria_mutual_aid/?hl=en
Mi Casa Resiste
Bushwick anticapitalist collective using art + direct action to fight the displacement & criminalization of low-income Black & Brown families in NYC.
https://www.instagram.com/micasaresiste/?hl=en
Mutual aid nyc
Mutual Aid NYC is a multi-racial network of people and groups building support systems for people in the New York area during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
We work at a citywide level to help those actively working in communities find the people and resources they need to do their work. We believe that this access will help them provide mutual aid, advocacy, and services to as many people as possible—now and in the future.
https://mutualaid.nyc/
Riot Safety Fund
Riot Safety Fund (RSF) began in May 2020 in response to a global surge in uprisings for police and prison abolition during the COVID-19 pandemic. We raise and redistribute community funds to activists, families, jail supporters, victims of police violence, and people who are detained in Lenapehoking (‘New York City’). RSF is pro queer, trans, Black, brown, Indigenous, immigrant, undocumented, disabled, and housing liberation.
https://riotsafetyfund.org/
PUSH BUFFALO
The mission of PUSH Buffalo is to mobilize residents to create strong neighborhoods with quality, affordable housing; to expand local hiring opportunities; and to advance economic and environmental justice in Buffalo.
https://www.pushbuffalo.org/
The People’s Bodega
The People’s Bodega NYC - mobile mutual aid, everything should be free. abolition, nothing less.
https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplesbodeganyc/?hl=en
TOUCHING LAND
Touching Land uses hands-on experiential arts as a tool for community-building and immigrant empowerment. We have different programming that follows different social tracks: the Empowerment Model and the Building Bridges Model.
Our Empowerment Model is meant for immigrants and vulnerable populations where the focus is on legal rights, self-worth, mental health and building networks of support among participants. While our Building Bridges Model was created as a platform where cross-cultural connections are born. Participants from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds seek to understand not only their shared humanity, but also their rights and duties as allies in a diverse community. https://www.touchingland.org/what-we-do
PENNSYLVANIA
People’s Paper Co-op
The People’s Paper Co-op is a women led, women focused, women powered art and advocacy project at the Village of Arts and Humanities in North Philadelphia. The PPC looks to women in reentry as the leading criminal justice experts our society needs to hear from and uses art to amplify their stories, dreams, and visions for a more just and free world.
http://peoplespaperco-op.weebly.com/
City of asylum
City of Asylum builds a just community by protecting and celebrating creative free expression. We provide sanctuary to endangered literary writers, so that the writers can continue to write and their voices are not silenced. We offer a broad range of free literary, arts, and humanities programs in a community setting to build social equity through cultural exchange. And by transforming blighted properties into homes for our programs, we anchor neighborhood economic development.
https://cityofasylum.org/
SOUTH DAKOTA
first peoples fund
Founded in 1995, First Peoples Fund's mission is to honor and support the Collective Spirit® of First Peoples artists and culture bearers. First Peoples Fund recognizes the power of art and culture to bring about positive change in Native communities, beginning with individual artists and their families.
We strive to provide support and voice to creative Indigenous artists who share their inspiration, wisdom, knowledge and gifts with their communities. First Peoples Fund's grantmaking initiatives include the annual Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Awards, Artists in Business Leadership, Cultural Capital Fellowship, Our Nations’ Spaces, and Indigenous Arts Ecology Grants.
https://www.firstpeoplesfund.org/
Cheyenne River Youth Project
The Cheyenne River Youth Project® was founded in January 1988 to address the community’s need for more services that support struggling children and their families. The organization created a safe place for children to come after school; it offered activities such as arts and crafts, intramural sports and volunteer mentorship, and it provided a healthy meal and snack each day.
https://lakotayouth.org/
Thunder Valley CDC
We are a Lakota ran grassroots Community Development Corporation that is building a community as a catalyst to create systemic change on the Pine Ridge Reservation. We are focused on building power for our community to create sustainable change and end poverty on the reservation. We do this through a multifaceted approach that ultimately creates vibrant and healthy communities. We are focused on the 34 acre development as a means to create systemic change.
https://thundervalley.org/
TEXAS
mutual aid collective atx
A student-driven digital community center building solidarity and practicing collective care to support those impacted by COVID-19.
https://www.instagram.com/mutualaidatx/
La Mujer Obrera
Our Mission is to develop and use our creative capacity to express the dignity and diversity of our Mexican heritage, from indigenous Mesoamerican roots to contemporary expressions, and to develop and celebrate our community through economic development, community building, community health and civic engagement.
http://www.mujerobrera.org/
UTAH
bears ears Inter-tribal coalition
In July of 2015, leaders from the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe founded the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. The Coalition Tribes are unified in the effort to protect this landscape we call Hoon’Naqvut, Shash Jáa, Kwiyagatu Nukavachi, Ansh An Lashokdiwe, in our Native languages, all of which mean “Bears Ears.” Today, a total of 30 Tribes have expressed support for protecting the Bears Ears landscape for all future generations. We are pursuing this goal by working collaboratively with our partners to immediately address needs on the landscape and by developing a land management plan for the greater Bears Ears landscape (1.9 million+ acres) that is rooted in our Indigenous perspectives and place-based conservation strategies, developed over centuries.
https://bearsearscoalition.org/
Vermont
Clemmons Family Farm
The Clemmons Family Farm is one of the rare African-American-owned farms in Vermont. We actively promote the celebration of heritage as a continuum of which we learn from our past, shape our presents, and invest in our future.
https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/
WASHINGTON
Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network
This fundraiser replenishes funds for the Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network in Washington State. This network is led by Trans people of color and advances the lives of Trans Women, Femmes, Two-Spirit and people of color living in Washington State by ensuring basic needs are met.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/trans-women-of-color-solidarity-network-fund