{"id":1895,"date":"2021-06-30T08:57:23","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T08:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=1895"},"modified":"2021-08-22T09:02:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T09:02:01","slug":"california-black-freedom-fund-invests-nearly-9-million-in-74-black-led-power-building-groups-around-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=1895","title":{"rendered":"California Black Freedom Fund Invests Nearly $9 Million in 74 Black-led Power-Building Groups Around the State"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/span> California Black Freedom Fund<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.<\/span>,\u00a0June 29, 2021<\/span>\u00a0\/PRNewswire\/ —\u00a0The California Black Freedom Fund today announced nearly\u00a0$9 million<\/span>\u00a0in general operating grants to 74 Black-led groups across\u00a0California<\/span>\u00a0as part of its commitment to resource, connect and strengthen Black-led power-building organizations in the state.<\/p>\n

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In its second round of grantmaking, the fund is awarding grants to Black-led organizations operating in all corners of the state —\u00a0San Francisco Bay Area<\/span>,\u00a0Los Angeles County<\/span>,\u00a0Northern California<\/span>, Inland Empire,\u00a0San Diego<\/span>\u00a0—\u00a0Imperial<\/span>,\u00a0Orange County<\/span>,\u00a0San Joaquin Valley<\/span>\u00a0and Central Coast. The fund is providing general operating support grants to Black-led organizations with operating budgets of\u00a0$1 million<\/span>\u00a0or less. The full list of grantees can be found\u00a0here<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“The critical work of combating anti-Black racism calls for funders to work together in order to achieve real scale and impact,” said\u00a0Miguel A. Santana<\/span>, president and CEO of the Weingart Foundation. “The California Black Freedom Fund is a powerful vehicle to advance the Weingart Foundation’s commitment to racial justice. Along with efforts such as the Committee for Greater LA’s Black Experience Action Group, we are collectively building momentum for change.”<\/p>\n

Launched in\u00a0February 2021<\/span>, the first-of-its-kind fund, co-created with Black leaders and organizers, ensures that\u00a0California’s<\/span>\u00a0growing ecosystem of locally rooted Black-led organizing efforts have the sustained investments and resources they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism. The fund addresses a history of underinvestment in Black-led organizations and power-building by philanthropy.<\/p>\n

“Google.org congratulates the California Black Freedom Fund on awarding another 74 grants to Black-led organizations focused on Black-power-building,” said\u00a0Adrian Schurr<\/span>, regional giving lead at Google.org. “These dynamic organizations confronting anti-Black racism and promoting social justice are aligned with Google.org’s mission to provide opportunity for everyone.”<\/p>\n

The fund has already galvanized the support of nearly three dozen funders and donors, with nearly\u00a0$50 million<\/span>\u00a0already committed of the\u00a0$100 million<\/span>\u00a0it seeks to raise by 2025. Donors and funders who recently have joined the fund or increased their commitments include: Arrow Impact, Google.org, The Larsen Lam Family, Meadow Fund, Panta Rhea Foundation, Reis Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Sobrato Philanthropies, Someland Foundation, Stupski Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Tipping Point Community and Y & H Soda Foundation. The fund will raise additional dollars over the next five years through a mix of foundation, corporate and individual donor support.<\/p>\n

“The road to justice requires those with privilege and power to leverage every platform and resource available to amplify the voices that have often been silenced,” said\u00a0Sandy Herz<\/span>, president of Sobrato Philanthropies. “We are deeply grateful to be working with Silicon Valley Community Foundation and others as effective allies and supporters in this vital movement to sustain, build upon, and accelerate the Black-led racial justice movement underway in\u00a0California<\/span>. The depth and diversity of the organizations that applied and have now been funded with unrestricted general operating grants\u00a0through the California Black Freedom Fund give us great hope for a racially just\u00a0California<\/span>\u00a0of the future.”<\/p>\n

Over the next five years, through additional rounds of grantmaking, the California Black Freedom Fund will strategically increase the resources available to Black-led organizations throughout\u00a0California<\/span>, prioritizing the courageous and visionary grassroots advocates and organizers leading\u00a0California<\/span>\u00a0as a whole toward systemic transformation. In its first round of grantmaking prior to its official launch, the fund also invested over\u00a0$6 million<\/span>\u00a0to support three established Black networks that have proven, long-term working relationships with more than 50 Black-led organizations across the state:\u00a0California Black Power Network<\/a><\/u>;\u00a0Black Equity Collective<\/a><\/u>; and PICO California:\u00a0Live Free\/ Bring the HEAT<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

“We are extremely proud to support the California Black Freedom Fund, which is shifting our society toward greater justice and health for all,” said\u00a0Debbie I. Chang<\/span>, MPH, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation.<\/p>\n

The fund’s focus on “power-building” supports an interconnected and locally rooted ecosystem that gives Black community members the power to: design and advocate for community agendas that reflect their needs; play decision-making roles in the policies and systems that impact their lives; and exercise power to win systemic change through advocacy, direct action, and voter organizing and mobilization. In addition to grantmaking, the fund will also provide capacity-building support through technical assistance in communications, narrative change and policy; research and data; and convening and learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

Silicon Valley Community Foundation provides fiscal and administrative management of the fund.<\/p>\n

About the California Black Freedom Fund:<\/b><\/p>\n

The California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) is a five-year,\u00a0$100 million<\/span>\u00a0initiative to ensure that Black power-building and movement-based organizations have the sustained investments and support they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism. Learn more\u00a0CABlackFreedomFund.org<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source:\u00a0PRNewswire.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By California Black Freedom Fund MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.,\u00a0June 29, 2021\u00a0\/PRNewswire\/ —\u00a0The California Black Freedom Fund today announced nearly\u00a0$9<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t