Campaign has directed $12 million to Black-led nonprofits over three years
The BackBlack initiative has directed more than $12 million toward Black-led nonprofits over the past three years, founder Floyd Jones told the Associated Press. The August campaign invites online donation platforms to center typically underfunded organizations led by Black Americans.
For the first time this year, BackBlack organizers are partnering with content creators to reach Black Gen Zers. The goal BackBlack organizers describe is to show that philanthropy “belongs to them, too — not just the historically wealthier and predominantly white charitable institutions that tend to dominate narratives about philanthropy.”
The creator-led outreach comes as philanthropic giving has grown more concentrated among the affluent and some major funders have de-prioritized diversity in their grantmaking, the AP reported.
Last year’s campaign drew more than 130,000 unique donors, according to Jones, with the majority of gifts under $100. The BackBlack appeal runs each August in a GivingTuesday-style format in which participating platforms are asked to feature Black-led nonprofits prominently, the AP reported.