Black Collective Foundation MN

The Black Collective Foundation MN was formed against the backdrop of the 2020 uprising for racial justice. Our Co-Founders, Repah Mekha, Chanda Smith Baker, and Lulete Mola, rooted in community with influence in the sector of philanthropy, were called to harness the struggles and possibilities of the historical moment to move the sector beyond momentary sympathy and into accountability, solidarity, and transformation. While it’s been over three years since that uprising, the call–and need–for transformational change still reverberates today. To achieve the visionary change we seek, our path forward requires unprecedented resourcing, amplification, and sustainability of Black-led change. 

Your investment will be used across community-based grantmaking, organizational infrastructure, programming, research, and convening to resource and advance the ecosystem and genius of Black-led change.

The spirit of the Foundation and its commitment to Black-led change builds on a legacy of Black people resourcing and working to better our communities, not only within philanthropic institutions, but in our communities, every single day. This organization is the realization of the legacy of vision, philanthropy, and generosity in Black communities, bringing it from the shadows into the light.  

As the first Black community foundation in Minnesota, we are building Black philanthropic power and inspiring a new philanthropy for everyone. With this collective, we ask, ‘How much greater can philanthropy be?’ We are activating a shared vision that realizes the promise of racial justice and builds on  the lives, dreams, and brilliance of Black people to create a world where each of us are holistically well, living in dignity and prosperity.