There's too much at stake for deaf nonprofits right now, from threats to their tax-exempt status to federal funding cuts resulting in loss of services and ramped up competition for all other types of grants.

What's more, just 1% of the $37.2 billion (yes, billion) in grants awarded annually goes toward disability justice organizations. 1% is not enough.

What They're Saying

65% of deaf organization leaders who attended our webinars earlier this year reported feeling uncertainty related to future funding. Another 55% said they were being affected by or anticipating a decrease in funding, with 45% also experiencing an increased demand for their services.  

This pressure on nonprofits, whose programs and services are the backbone of our deaf communities, cannot continue unchecked.

Our Call to Action

Our commitment to deaf organizations and communities is unwavering. With the ever-increasing need to ensure the survival of deaf organizations, we’re looking to double the number of DOF grants awarded next year. By spring of 2026, our goal is to distribute at least $200,000 among 10 deaf organizations and programs. 
 
DOF is uniquely positioned as the nation's only grantmaking institution by and for deaf organizations. Whether you are reading this as someone affiliated with a deaf organization, a member of our deaf communities, another funding entity, or a donor, you have the power to help us change the course of history.  

Join us in funding deaf organizations today, ensuring their incomparable work for deaf communities continues in the decades to come.

The Funding Disparity

With just 1% of overall philanthropic dollars going toward disability justice organizations, well-resourced deaf organizations are few and far in between. This funding disparity puts deaf organization leaders at a significant disadvantage in terms of financial sustainability, operational growth, and overall ability to fully meet the needs of their deaf communities. 

While grant dollars are, of course, absolutely essential for deaf nonprofits and programs, we also observed a common theme across the 300 grant applications DOF received over the past 5 years. Many of you expressed the need for a “one-stop shop” for finding accessible nonprofit experts to support your administrative or operating needs.   

Message received!

We now have a growing Consultant Directory available for use by deaf organization leaders. This directory centralizes nonprofit subject matter experts who identify as members of deaf communities and/or are equipped to provide communication access to you and other leaders of deaf organizations.   

If you need specific expertise, such as board governance, strategic planning, grant writing, and more, you can search the directory and filter by service categories. From there, it’s between you and the potential consultant to discuss logistics and determine the best fit! We also encourage you to reflect on the individuals you’ve worked with in the past. If they supported your organization and can provide communication access, please share this information with them. 

We look forward to the Consultant Directory expanding in both the number of listings and its utilization over time.

Deaf Organizations Fund (DOF) relies on community support to help make our annual Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations possible. Because our grant program and nonprofit resources are offered nationwide by a team working remotely, we do not have a geographic-specific donor base.  

This means we’ve had to get creative with our fundraising efforts! One strategy we experimented with was hosting a virtual race called the Dash for Deaf Organizations. Between 2023 and 2025, supporters of all ages and abilities walked, wheeled, or ran their way through this annual Dash. Their registration fees and additional donations helped support the work of deaf organizations across the United States.

Over the course of three Dash events, we had 335 Dashers that brought in a collective total of $37,700+ in support of deaf organizations.

What worked?

We used a virtual race platform called RunSignup.com. Since none of us at DOF are particularly athletic (darn!) or experienced in hosting races, we experimented with different approaches!  

From varied distances and pricing tiers – 5K, 10K, and half-marathons – to options for forming race teams and creating fundraising pages, there was something for everyone to try. We even set up charity partnerships with several of our grantees to not only raise money for DOF, but to also encourage donations to our charity partners.  

We had the assistance of deaf athletes from MANOS3Nation as event ambassadors, deaf content creators, and charity partners in marketing the Dash events, as well as the financial backing of generous sponsoring companies. 

What was challenging?   

The idea of a virtual race is a tough sell. People struggled initially to understand how the distance options could be completed, and though we encouraged supporters to recruit friends, family, and co-workers to participate and complete the Dash together, it seemed as though the in-person, collective race aspect was desired by many.  

Final thoughts

Some of our charity partners held Dash meet-ups in various locations statewide, or even nationwide. While there are liability and permit considerations if your organization sets up a formal race course, these informal meet-ups to encourage participants to complete the Dash together seemed to generate considerable interest and success for the hosting organizations. If your organization is thinking about a virtual race, this could be a good hybrid strategy to consider! 

We are profoundly grateful to all who participated in and supported our Dash events.