Black-led change
grantee partners
The Black Collective Foundation MN invests in Black-led change makers who are building and strengthening culturally rooted systems that advance the social, political, and economic interests of Black people across Minnesota. We’re honored to work in partnership with these organizations and individual leaders and grow community-rooted and aligned power through the following pathways:
Black-Led Change Grants to Organizations
We are investing in two grant pathways in support of systems building:
Strengthen & Sustain pathway and the Visioning & Planning pathway.
In addition to investments, the leaders of all of the organizations will receive the Black Collective Fellowship, a one-of-a-kind experience designed to support and sustain the holistic wellbeing of leaders as they build resilient organizations, contribute to a strong and connected ecosystem, resulting in a resilient movement for Black-led Change.
Strengthen & Sustain: Organizations receive $50,000 in unrestricted general operating grants. These funds are for expenses that are essential for an organization to function. It is flexible and covers the costs like program support, staff salaries, utilities, maintenance, supplies and additional overhead and program costs at the discretion of the leaders of the organization.
In addition to organizational support, the leaders of these organizations are granted $10,000 directly with the freedom to decide its usage. Options include taking a restful sabbatical, joining a self-designed or existing retreat, hiring a leadership or wellness coach for development, supporting a new endeavor, investing in a learning program for expertise, or allocating funds to personal living expenses to unburden the mind, body, and spirit for impactful leadership.
Strengthen & Sustain
Meet our Strengthen & Sustain grantee partners
Founder, Gevonee Ford
Network for the Development of Children of African Descent
Founder, Antonio Williams
Tone Up LLC
Founder, Del Shea Perry
Be Their Voices
Founder, Vusumuzi Zulu,
Black Storytellers Alliance
Founder, Neda Kellogg
Project Diva International
Founder, Rekhet Si-Asar
In Black Ink
Founder, DejaJoelle
Body Prayers Space
Founder, Abdirahman Mukhtar
Daryeel Youth
Founder, Victoria McWane-Creek
Organization 4 Full Participation
Founder, Eva Garrett
Natural Me Apothecary
Visioning & Planning:
The following organizations received grants to seed their new innovative approaches to Black-led change. This grant is a unique fund specifically designed to propel innovative ideas that not only resonate in the present, but also hold the power to shape the future. This grant aims to amplify the voices of Black innovators whose ground-breaking initiatives hold the potential to bring about meaningful, futuristic changes in society.
Meet our Visioning & Planning grantee partners:
Love First Community Engagement
Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence
Beyond the Mic
Youth Lens 360,LLC
The Legacy Building
See Liberia
Sprinkle My Feet L.L.C
Tameika Williams
Urban Youth Conservation
A Seat At The Table Productions
Therapeace Counseling
Known MPLS
Keikos Kitchen
Mudluck
Ujima Collective
Black-Led Change Fellows
We award grants and fellowships to leaders, a practice that is instrumental to empowering Black communities and the wider ecosystem. The Black Led Change Fellowship is a year-long immersive program designed to support and sustain the holistic wellbeing of Minnesota’s most innovative and impactful leaders as they build resilient organizations and contribute to a strong and connected ecosystem.
Meet our partners and fellows:
Founder, Sierra Carter
The Zen Bin
Founder, Ayolanda Mack and Adrian Mack
Black Family Blueprint
Founder, Kimberly Handy Jones
The Cordale Q Handy Remembrance of Me Foundation
Founder, Georgia Fort
Stories by Georgia Fort, LLC
Founder, Kenna Cottman
Voice of Culture
Founder, Kasim AburRazzaq
Kasim AburRazzaqAbdur Razzaq Counseling & Social Architecture, PA
Founder, Nelima Sitati-Munene
ACER
Founder, Ebony Aya
The Aya Collective
Founder, Vachel Hudson
ReInvesting in Communities and Housing (RICH)
Founder, Steven Johnson also known as Philli Irvin
Intro to Success (ITS)
Founder, Johnny Allen Jr.
The JK Movement
Founder, Lewis McCaleb
N4 Collective
Founder, Rose McGee
Sweet Potato Comfort Pie
Founder, Titilayo Bediako
WE WIN Institute, Inc.
Founder, Kevin Reese
Until We Are All Free Movement
Philanthropic Power Grants
The Philanthropic Power Partnerships are a reciprocal partnership that harnesses the interest, scales or deepens the good work that our Community Builders already lead, and ultimately advances a shared vision of a Minnesota where our people are holistically well, living in dignity and prosperity.
The Partnership consists of two components: (1) a continuous relationship with the Black Collective through one of the following Partnership pathways, and (2) a $10,000 grant directly allocated to individual Community Builders or their 501(c)(3) organization to fuel your progress along that pathway.
Pathways:
Community builder ambassadors, who participate on the 2024 Community Builder Nomination Review Committee, participate on panels, and inform the Collective on how to enhance and scale the Community Builders Practice
Infuse philanthropic strategies to build Black philanthropic power where Community Builders already lead by integrating the knowledge they have gained and developed as a part of the Community Builder Practice
Rest and write, through a retreat, sabbatical, professional development or capacity building
Create something new as a result of their time as a Community Builder - innovative programs, projects, or initiatives that directly align with our shared vision
Resilient Movement Fund
We invest $250,000 to ensure the strength, sustainability, and resilience of the movement for Black-led change that was catalyzed, transformed, or impacted by the 2020 Uprising for Racial Justice. Through a nomination process, flexible grants of $10,000-$20,000 will be disbursed to 20 Black-led organizations.
Meet our Resilient Movement Fund grantee partners:
OMG Media Solutions
Project Diva International
Sankofa Swim International
Somali American Farmers Association
Ujima Collective
Joi Unlimited
Flava Cafe
612 Jungle
African Women Youth and Resource Center
Al Maa'uun
Black Civic Network
Black Immigrant Collective
In Black Ink
Living Naturally Abundant
Fellowship Baptist Church
African Economic Development Center
Black Family Blueprint
Intro to Success
Stories by Georgia Fort, LLC
Sweet Potato Comfort Pie
Voice of Culture
WE WIN Institute, Inc.
Grant Opportunities
We currently do not have any open grant rounds. We are committed to funding creatively and abundantly to resource community centered and culturally powered solutions, please sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date on future grant opportunities.