The beginning of August marked the start of Black Philanthropy Month.
Created by founder of “the Women Invested to Save Earth Fund,” Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland, Black Philanthropy Month is held every August as a global celebration of Black philanthropic organizations and leaders.
In honor of the month, here are five Black-led nonprofits to support.
- Black Food Sovereignty: Led by co-directors Edward “Eddie” Hill, Charles Smith and Mirabai Collins, the Black Food Sovereignty Coalition is composed of multiple organizations that are devoted to working with BIPOC farmers, advocates and other officials to combat food insecurity in marginalized communities. The coalition also aims to achieve land justice across most of the Pacific Northwest; through the group’s initiatives, the nutritional needs of Black Americans, land ownership and increased wealth in the Black community are addressed and worked towards.
Available for all communities, Black Food Sovereignty offers a variety of programs such as “Grandma’s Hands,” a program that has Black grandmothers share their recipes for others to make using free materials provided by the coalition. They also offer a fellowship for students to take part in; known as “the Viviane Barnett Fellowship for Food System Leaders,” the fellowship has future BIPOC food system leaders develop projects against issues like the effects of climate change.
- Black Theatre Coalition: Founded by actor T. Oliver Reid, director Warren Adams and the Chief Transformation Officer at Carlyle, Reggie Van Lee, in 2019, the Black Theatre Coalition is focused on diversifying the theatre world and increasing Black representation off stage. Working towards dismantling racist ideology in the theatre world, the nonprofit offers Black theatre professionals fellowships in areas like talent representation, marketing and design and public relations in partner companies such as the Creative Artists Agency and SpotCo. Black Theatre Coalition also offers Black professionals work on Broadway productions through their apprenticeship program.
- StreetCode Academy: Founded by Olatunde and Tamara Sobomehin, StreetCode Academy offers 9,000 students over 100 programs based around tech and business. Focused on giving free tech education to BIPOC children and their families, StreetCode Academy offers lessons on coding, engineering, design, gaming, entrepreneurship, fashion and more. Through their teachings, StreetCode Academy helps students find an easier path into the career world and helps get rid of the barrier between BIPOC students and the tech world.
- The African Diaspora Alliance: Created by Moriah Ray and Jasmine Hall in 2015, the African Diaspora Alliance was created after the friends went to Cuba to study and became inspired by the African presence in the country. Through connecting people of African descent, the organization works to develop a community focused on understanding and celebrating the African Diaspora. Offering a variety of opportunities, the African Diaspora Alliance sends members on fully-paid excursions abroad to focus on topics such as write healing, hair and jazz as well as health. The organization also facilitates discussion on topics such as community organizing and dance through educational workshops, also known as liberation lectures, and their three-day “Diaspora Healing Experience” event.
- Gyrl Wonder: Founded by former MTV and BET executive Tola Lawal, Gyrl Wonder is a nonprofit focused on giving support to young BIPOC girls between the ages of 17 and 23. Once these girls figure out a career path that they’re passionate about, Gyrl Wonder helps them on their journey by giving career advice and making resources available for them to use as support. Along with internships, the organization offers career development workshops focused on preparing resumes and having an interview. Through their four pillars of self-care, self-image, empowerment and development along with field trips, Gyrl Wonder keeps the girls engaged as they step into the career world.
