Civil rights organization NAACP recently announced the launch of their fund dedicated to aiding people throughout the voting process.
Known as the “Building Community Voice Fund,” the fund will invest in voting in Black communities. Through investing $15 million for approximately 13.5 million Black voters across 18 different states, the NAACP will encourage and help finance voter education and protection programs.
With the protection programs, the group will specifically help defend against voter disenfranchisement amidst attacks on voting rights for Black Americans.
The fund will also provide grantees with ways to obtain the tools needed to contact voters, methods of training and research concerning voting and voting investments.
As of now, the Building Community Voice Fund will be available in Delaware, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois, Georgia and Louisiana.
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi and Virginia will also be included in receiving the funds. The focus will remain primarily on local elections and Black empowerment through ballot voting.
“In many Black communities, a lack of resources directly contributes to low voter registration and subsequent election turnout,” said the Program Director of the fund, Brittany Smith. “The BCVF program is critical for Black Americans to have a voice in this crucial upcoming election and beyond.”
The announcement for the fund comes amidst a reported increase in the number of eligible Black voters.
Per a Pew Research Center report released earlier this year, an estimated 34.4 million Black voters will be eligible to vote by November 2024, marking 14% of all total voters.
The number marks a seven percent increase from the last presidential election in 2020 and means that the turnout rate for Black voters is expected to be higher than those of Hispanic and Asian Americans.
With the higher rate, Black voters are expected to have a pivotal role in determining the results of the upcoming presidential election.
In the last election, the winner was determined in large part by the votes of Black Americans, as approximately two in ten voters who placed a ballot for the Biden-Harris administration were Black, according to the Pew Research Center.
Overall, 93% of Black Americans contributed to the Biden-Harris victory through voting.
“The Building Community Voice Fund will provide crucial resources to our grassroots organizations, ensuring that Black Americans are informed and engaged around pivotal local elections that are too often overlooked,” said the NAACP Vice President of Campaigns, Dominik Whitehead, per a statement. “Together, we will ensure that democracy prevails and Black voices are heard loud and clear.”
