The San Francisco-based Rosenberg Foundation has announced a new fund aimed at seeding, incubating, and accelerating the work of the next generation of progressive movement leaders.

Created in partnership with the Hellman Foundation, the Leading Edge Fund will award $2 million over three years to eight leaders in California who are working to address pervasive inequity and injustice, with each fellow receiving $225,000 in support of his or her efforts to tackle barriers to opportunity. Fellows also will receive technical assistance in areas such as strategy, program design, and communications.

The eight fellows are Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of the #BlackLivesMatter movement; civil rights attorney Meredith Desautels, who is working to reduce over-incarceration of youth in the state; Morning Star Gali, a member of the Ajumawi band of the Pit River Tribe who is working to address the over-incarceration of Native Americans in the state; Michael Gomez Daly, who is actively involved in efforts to boost voter engagement and civic participation among immigrants and other people of color; Raj Jayadev, founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug, who is working to transform the role, makeup, and decision-making powers of judges and juries in California’s criminal courts; immigration defense attorney Raha Jorjani, who will work to expand the role of public defenders to ensure adequate representation for immigrants; Nicole Pittman, director of the Center on Youth Registration Reform, who is working to eliminate the practice of placing children on sex offender registries; and Samuel Sinyangwe, co-founder of WeTheProtesters, who is involved in advancing policy reform aimed at ending police violence.

“We need to take a giant leap in order to put an end to business as usual and get rid of policies that have oppressed communities of color and low-income communities for decades,” said Rosenberg Foundation president Timothy P. Silard. “Justice, civil rights, and equity are issues that are of utmost importance for California’s future. It is our privilege to support these incredible leaders to take risks and address these issues.”