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Announcing the inaugural cohort of the Fund for Black-led Change

May 20, 2021

The Fund for Black-led Change at the Meyer Foundation

Following our November announcement of the Fund for Black-led Change, a multi-million-dollar, multi-year commitment of core support to Black-led and Black-centered organizations in the Greater Washington region, we’re thrilled to formally share the announcement of the Fund’s director, Stephanie Sneed, and the inaugural cohort of partners who will receive resources as a part of the Fund. These partner organizations were selected among our list of eligible current grantee partners, and we intend to expand the number of organizations resourced through the Fund in 2021 and 2022.  

 

The Fund for Black-led Change is a $20 million commitment over five years beyond our annual grantmaking and capacity-building support: over the next five years, we’ll distribute $15 million in multi-year, general operating grants to Black-led power-building, organizing, and advocacy organizations; the remaining $5 million in the Fund will be reserved to support infrastructure, capacity building, and other programming based on the participating organizations’ stated needs. The Fund for Black-led Change is one of three core funding priorities outlined in the Foundation’s fine-tuned strategy, Advancing Equity and Justice Through Building Power.

We believe that everyone stands to benefit when equity is prioritized and justice prevails. The Fund for Black-Led Change begins to do just that by putting resources into Black people and communities, addressing years of systemic divestment in Black-led movements and nonprofits. By resourcing Black communities and leadership, we aim to support the development of permanently organized communities that have the power to reimagine systems and create the conditions for everyone to thrive.

Eligibility for the Fund for Black-led Change

In identifying organizations for the initial cohort of the Fund for Black-led Change, Meyer staff looked at how well current grantee partners meet the eligibility criteria. Organizations selected for the Fund for Black-led Change must be both Black-led and Black-centered to be eligible. We will use these same criteria to add partners to the Fund in the future.

In a Black-led organization:

  • The executive director, highest-paid staff, or the equivalent, identify as a Black person.
  • At least 66% of staff identify as Black.
  • At least 51% of the board, steering committee, or other leadership body and volunteers in leadership positions identify as Black.

In a Black-centered organization:

  • The work is grounded in the belief that all Black lives matter. There is a holistic, intersectional approach that values the various, multiple identities and communities where Black people exist and recognizes their layered experiences of injustice.
  • The primary focus of the work is to secure changes at the personal, community, policy and/or institutional level for the benefit of Black people, and all people.
  • There is commitment to strategically and intentionally build the power of Black communities.
  • The strategies and activities prioritize culturally relevant practices.

The Inaugural Cohort of the Fund for Black-led Change

What’s Next

Throughout 2021, we will seek to expand the cohort of partners resourced through the Fund for Black-led Change. Eligible organizations interested in receiving resources through this Fund should submit an Interest Form, as they would do to apply for any type of funding from the Meyer Foundation. There is no separate application for the Fund for Black-led Change: should your organization fit the criteria for the Fund, we will notify you. We accept and review Interest Form submissions on a rolling basis. More information on submitting an Interest Form can be found on the How to Apply section on our Grantmaking page of our website.

Stay tuned for future updates about the Fund for Black-led Change.

 

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