Justice + Joy National Collaborative

08/31/2026

Justice and Joy National Collaborative is closed for a summer break from Monday August 31st through Monday September 7th, 2026 as we recharge and ramp up for the Fall season. If you have an urgent matter, please contact [email protected]. We look forward to continuing our very important work together when we return!

08/31/2026

Today’s the day! 💛 Have you been thinking about applying to the HEAL Collective? This is your sign to submit your Letter of Interest (LOI) today!

We want to learn about your leadership, your work, and the vision you’re building through your LOI.

From there, selected applicants may be invited to submit a full application, followed by finalist conversations.

✨ The process:
1️⃣ Letter of Interest
2️⃣ Full Application
3️⃣ Finalist Conversations

📅 LOI deadline: TODAY, August 31, 2026
⏰ 11:59 PM local time

We’re excited to learn more about the leaders and collectives working to build healthier, more equitable communities.

There’s still time to take the first step! Visit this link to learn more and submit your LOI: https://justiceandjoynatl.submittable.com/submit

08/27/2026

📣 Registration is now open for Fixing Democracy: Chat & Chew, an interactive youth-led workshop to discuss challenges and solutions facing our democracy!

Through Fixing Democracy, we’ve conducted research with Gen Z, provided microgrants to young people, and created space for virtual community building. Now, our youth leads are hitting the road and bringing these conversations in person to young people in their own cities!

📍 Portland — September 12
📍 St. Louis — September 19

If you are, or know any girls, young women, or gender-expansive young people ages 16–29 who are, interested in civic engagement, community, and reimagining what democracy can look like!

Food and stipends are provided; however, space is limited!

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6YYuAqAz5_T-oDwyQJRgHqDWSZn0eLKjFDYGupg1aPqij0w/viewform

Come eat, connect, and imagine what’s possible. 💬

Join us for Fixing Democracy: Chat & Chew, an interactive youth-led workshop where young leaders, community members, and advocates will come together to explore the challenges facing our communities and identify solutions through collective action. Participants will learn about the history and visio...

08/24/2026

It’s the final week to start your HEAL Collective application! ✨

If you’ve been considering applying, this is your reminder to take the first step. Required Letters of Interest (LOIs) are due August 31.

The HEAL Collective is for U.S.-based youth-centered organizations and individuals committed to intergenerational collaboration and advancing health equity.

Whether your work centers safety and well-being, economic opportunity, civic or political power, climate justice, or another area of health equity, this opportunity is for you.

Through HEAL, we’re building an intergenerational and intersectional ecosystem that connects communities, identities, issue areas, systems, and geographies to build and activate our collective power for justice with and for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color.

If your work is rooted in youth leadership, cross-movement collaboration, and creating healthier, more just communities, we want to hear from you.

📅 LOIs are due August 31.
Explore FAQs, learn more, and start your application here: https://justiceandjoynatl.submittable.com/submit

08/19/2026

Every year, Justice + Joy takes one week at the end of summer to pause together—to rest, spend time with family and loved ones, care for our mental health, and make room for joy.

As we prepare for this year’s summer break, our Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Holly Weems-Ladd, is sharing a little more about why this time means so much to us and why we believe rest and restoration are essential to sustaining ourselves and the work we care so deeply about.

Read our latest blog, “Why We Pause Together,” and learn why sometimes stepping away together helps us come back together feeling rested, inspired, and ready for what’s ahead.

Link To Blog Post: https://shorturl.at/LaGxw

08/17/2026

Two weeks remaining to submit and LOI! The first step toward the HEAL Collective starts with you. 💛

If you’re building toward healthier, more equitable communities, we want to hear about your work, your leadership, and your vision for what’s possible.

The Letter of Interest (LOI) is the first step in the HEAL Collective application process. It gives us an opportunity to learn more about your leadership, your work, and how your efforts align with the goals of the HEAL Collective.

✨ The application process includes three steps:

1️⃣ Letter of Interest
All applicants begin by submitting an LOI before the due date-
📅 LOI deadline: August 31, 2026
⏰ 11:59 PM local time

2️⃣ Full Application
Selected LOI applicants may be invited to submit a full application due by 📅 LOI deadline: September 14, 2026
⏰ 11:59 PM local time

3️⃣ Finalist Conversations
Finalists will have the opportunity to connect with the HEAL Collective grantmaking committee.

Please note: Submission of an LOI is mandatory for all applicants and does not guarantee an invitation to submit a full application, participation in a finalist conversation, or receipt of funding.

We know change is happening in communities everywhere. We’re excited to learn more about the people and collectives helping make that change possible. 💛

Take the first step and submit your LOI by August 31!

08/12/2026

This summer, nine incredible girls and gender-expansive young people of color came together as the inaugural cohort of the Justice + Joy Research Fellowship! 💛

Selected from more than 580 young scholars, these fellows are spending seven weeks stepping into their power as change-makers, researchers, and experts on their own lives and communities.

Their research covers everything from health and healing to education, safety, storytelling, and so much more. Each project reflects their curiosity, creativity, and commitment to creating change in their communities.

Now, we’re excited for you to get to know the brilliant young people behind the research! ✨

Click through to meet our fellows, learn where they’re from, hear what they’ve been up to, and discover what they’re exploring through their individual research projects.

We’re so proud to learn alongside them and can’t wait to see where their ideas and leadership take them next! 💛

08/04/2026

Life gets busy, and things come up! If you missed our Informational Webinar on the HEAL Collective, we've got you. 💛

You can still be part of the conversation! Whether you're exploring the opportunity for the first time or are preparing your application, we hope the recording leaves you feeling inspired, informed, and energized about what's possible when we come together to create meaningful change.

🎥 Watch and share the recording here: https://youtu.be/rx101cIRKGg?si=s2VB0fIprJ3Nre2O

📩 Have questions or want to connect? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out anytime at [email protected].

We can't wait to learn more about your vision through your application.

07/28/2026

Have you registered for our HEAL Collective information webinar yet?

This Thursday, we'll hear directly from staff and some members of our intergenerational grantmaking committee—trusted leaders whose years of experience advancing justice with and for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people.

During the webinar, you'll learn more about the HEAL (Health Equity Advancing Liberation) Collective, hear what we're looking for in this funding opportunity, and have the chance to ask questions about the application.

If you're part of, or looking to start, a youth-centered, intergenerational, or intersectional collective working to advance health equity, we'd love to have you join us.

Register today and help us reimagine what's possible for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people!
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Wl7x0J47Q4-LYIU21KSgSg

07/23/2026

At Justice + Joy, our mission is to advance social, economic, and political justice through advocacy, research, organizing, and capacity-building with and for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color.

Our mission drives everything we do, but how we pursue it matters just as much as the work itself. We are guided by values that shape every decision we make: collective power, addressing root causes, youth-centered intergenerational leadership, liberatory healing and restoration, and honoring lived expertise and wisdom.

Together, these principles fuel our commitment to building a future where girls, young women, and gender-expansive people of color are trusted, valued, and empowered to lead the transformative change they deserve.