Since the Great Migration, millions of Black Americans have settled in California, searching for opportunity and a better life for their families. Today, California has the sixth largest Black population in the country, but trails in funding infrastructure and building the capacity of groups organizing or serving Black communities.
The racial justice uprisings that have swept the nation after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many more have shifted policies and culture across the country and in our state, giving us a glimpse of what a new, racially just California could look like.
Now, we have the opportunity to make lasting change. The California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) is founded on the belief that increasing the capacity and effectiveness of Black power-building organizations will, in turn, enhance the freedom and self-determination of Black people most impacted by structural racism in order to drive California as a whole toward systemic transformation.
Black power-building, movement-building organizations in California are addressing the multiple and intersecting harms of systemic racism, police violence and racial inequities our communities face. For example, organizations focus on stopping police violence, promoting education equity, improving health outcomes, championing voter registration and civic engagement, and crafting policies around increasing access to housing. These organizations need resources, now and in the future, to continue and strengthen their work.
Philanthropy has the opportunity to sustain, build upon and accelerate the racial justice movement underway in California. Doing so requires investing in groups organizing or serving Black communities to build and strengthen their organizing power within our communities.
The California Black Freedom Fund is a five-year, $100 million initiative to ensure that Black power-building and movement-based organizations have the sustained investments and resources they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism.
The first state-based fund of its kind, the California Black Freedom Fund prioritizes investments in the courageous and visionary grassroots advocates and community leaders who are transforming our cities, our state -- and our world.
The California Black Freedom Fund has set a goal of raising $100 million over the next five years through a mix of foundation, corporate and individual donor support. As of February 2021, nearly two dozen funders have joined this important effort as fund partners. To learn about how you can join us as a fund partner, please email Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
California Black Freedom Fund is honored to announce that the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund will distribute $2.2 million to community organizations working on the ground to meet the immediate and long-term needs of Black communities impacted by the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County.
As Black History Month came to a close, we had the opportunity to gather in Santa Monica for the first in-person convening in our Restoration Through Reparations series. More than just a historical reflection, this gathering was a rallying call for restitution, justice, and the restoration of wealth and legacy stolen from Black communities for generations.
New Fund Aims to Help Black Communities in Altadena and Pasadena Rebuild Los Angeles, CA – This week, California Black Freedom Fund and California Community Foundation announced the launch of the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund, supporting community organizations on the ground that are meeting the immediate and long-term needs of Black communities displaced […]
CBFF is requesting up to $100 million from the state’s general fund to ensure the resiliency of Black serving organizations in the state. This funding will:
Share your support and urge Governor Newsom to secure our $100 million goal in state funding to support organizations that are closest to the issues as well as the solutions. This is the kind of investment California can afford to make and one that our communities deserve.
Through the California Black Freedom Fund, private, corporate and community foundations and individual donors have the opportunity to prioritize investments in Black power-building organizations as a strategic imperative and turn this moment into a sustained movement. Join us in building the capacity and power of Black organizers and advocates to make justice real in California.
