Background
The inception of the New Communities Fund was inspired by the recommendations in the 2020 Widening the Circle of Concern report from the UUA Commission on Institutional Change. Launched in 2023, the New Communities Fund’s purpose is to support new spiritual communities which are covenanted with UU values and identity and dedicated to serving those who have been marginalized historically within our faith; this includes a broad understanding of networked virtual and physical communities and spaces (“communities”).
The New UU Communities Fund was originally led by UUA Staff The Rev. Alicia Forde. Out of which grew the UU Cultivators Collaborative in partnership with Beloved, The UU Religious Innovators Network, and the New Communities Partnership.
The UUA, through the New Communities Fund, is committed to developing new communities covenanted to UU values and identity that are dedicated to serving those who have historically been marginalized in our faith. Support for this work comes from the UUA, ongoing donations, and a generous multi-year grant from the Fetzer Institute as part of their commitment to cultivate sacred-centered organizational cultures.
In 2026, the UUA appointed the Reverend Aisha Ansano and the Reverend JeKaren Bell as co-directors to continue the legacy of the New Communities Fund. As experienced innovators themselves, Reverends Ansano and Bell are excited for the next phase of the Fund.
Our Partners
We are grateful for our partners who help to make these visions a reality:
At Beloved, we support and nourish spiritual leaders who are creating new spaces of sacred belonging.
For more than a decade, Glean Network has supported spiritual innovators to reimagine the role of faith in our changing world.
Spiritual solutions for social problems. A new vision, informed by both the spiritual and scientific ways of knowing.