Community Foundation of Louisville Announces New Grant Strategy to Focus on Systems Change for Racial Justice
Foundation partners with 15 Black voices to reshape grantmaking
The Community Foundation of Louisville is reshaping its Fund for Louisville grants strategy for 2021–2023 to provide direct, renewable, multi-year funding, along with peer-support, networking and capacity-building opportunities. The new strategy will intentionally focus on supporting Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit organizations with the goal of dismantling systems preventing racial and economic equity while constructing new systems promoting justice.
“We are focused on increasing our support and changing how we grant funds,” said Ron Gallo, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Louisville. “An essential starting point of our new strategy is to actively engage Black voices in decision making.”
To assure that those most impacted by racial and economic inequality are fully involved in defining the grant process and the grantmaking that follows, an open call for applications and nominations resulted in 46 individuals, who self-identified as Black or African-American, expressing their interest. The individuals selected to shape the Fund for Louisville grants include:
- Stacy Bailey-Ndiaye
Nonprofit co-founder and director, with a background in higher education. - Leo Braddock
Nonprofit founder and director, BMe Genius Fellow, with a background in the hospitality sector. - Haley Brents
College student with a passion for youth advocacy and education. - Patricia Carver
Professor of business administration with a financial background, a nonprofit board member and volunteer. - Nannie Croney
Nonprofit professional and business owner. - Eric Hawkins
Background in supply chain and logistics, with experience reviewing funding proposals for state and corporate foundation funds. - Ashleigh Hazley
Academic researcher experienced in curriculum design; teacher and student advisor. - Johnique Ison
Nonprofit professional, nonprofit board member and volunteer. - Angelique Johnson
Technology start-up founder, business owner and nonprofit board member. - Tialisha Lumpkin
Business owner, political policy analyst, community organizer and volunteer. - Mahogany Mayfield
Teacher, nonprofit professional and racial justice advocate. - Cassandra Webb
Nonprofit professional, community organizer and nonprofit board member. - Shawnte West
Instructor of policy and child welfare advocate. Also works with nonprofits on program design and development. - LaToya Whitlock
Nonprofit co-founder and director, nonprofit board member and volunteer. - Naiyana Williams
Marketing, public affairs and development professional.
“We’re proud that our programs and grant-making practices prioritize equity and inclusion, yet we know there’s more we can do to be responsive to the needs of those most impacted by racialized inequality. Bringing new voices to define this approach allows us to share power with a talented group of community members whose diverse experiences, skills and perspectives can best inform our work.” said Ramona Dallum Lindsey, Senior Program Officer for the Community Foundation of Louisville.
The newly formed group will meet over three days to discuss how to dismantle current barriers to funding, identify characteristics of an equitable and accessible grant-making approach, and determine how to best identify Black-led nonprofit organizations that are advancing systemic change. After the three days, participants will be invited to partner with the Foundation until grants are awarded in 2021.
The Foundation will announce the new approach for nonprofits to be considered for funding in January 2021. Updates will be shared regularly on our website and via social media.
ABOUT THE FUND FOR LOUISVILLE
The Fund for Louisville was created by and is still supported by philanthropists who seek to support their community today and beyond their own lifetimes, and who believe they can do more together than alone. The Fund allows the Community Foundation to pool many distinct contributions to strategically respond to emerging needs and opportunities in the Louisville area with timely, impactful grants today and into the future. With support from funds at the Foundation and grants from local foundations, the Novak Family Foundation and the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Fund for Louisville has awarded more than $2.5 million in capacity-building grants to more than 120 local nonprofits since 2014.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF LOUISVILLE
As a community leader in philanthropy, the Community Foundation of Louisville connects donors, nonprofits and civic partners to create lasting impact so that people and places thrive. Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in Kentucky with more than $600 million in assets and more than 1,800 charitable funds. Each fund has its own charitable purpose as defined by its donors. In 2019, these funds made over 10,000 grants totaling $64 million, approximately 79% of which stayed in Kentucky and Southern Indiana to support area nonprofits. www.cflouisville.org.