The Case for Funding Black-Led Social Change: Case Statement

The Case for Funding Black-Led Social Change intends to spark new energy to vitalize and strengthen the infrastructure for Black-led organizations. The 18-page document was issued by the Black Social Change Funders Network (BSCFN), an initiative forged by the leadership of ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities and the Hill-Snowdon Foundation.

The Case for Funding Black-Led Social Change is aimed at large foundations, social change grantmakers, and Black charitable organizations. The case statement, co-authored by ABFE President and CEO Susan Taylor Batten and Hill-Snowdon Executive Director Nat Chioke Williams, indicates that less than 2 percent of funding by the nation’s largest foundations is specifically targeted to the Black community. Calling investment in Black-led social change a “moral imperative,” they recommend at least a 25 percent increase in giving by the nation’s largest foundations over the next five years, with emphasis on strengthening the infrastructure for Black-led social change.

The case statement proposes sustained, long-term investments to build infrastructure in seven key areas:

1. Civic Engagement & Political Power
2. Community Organizing & People Power
3. Policy Advocacy & System Reform
4. Economic Development & Economic Power
5. Research & Intellectual Power
6. Communications/Narrative & Social Power
7. Leadership Development & Strategic Convenings

Please also check out the follow-up report: The Case for Funding Black-Led Social Change: Redlining by Another Name: What the Data Says to Move from Rhetoric to Action (December 2019).