Philanthropy and our civic institutions continue to place the moral weight of American democracy on the shoulders of Black women without adequately funding the Black women-led organizations that make the hard work possible, while evading the risks that accompany it. One stark example is represented in the desperate need to invest in Black women and girls in the South, who receive less than one percent of the $4.8 billion in philanthropic investments across the region, yet they continue to advance the necessary work that upholds and extends the promise of democratic freedom to us all.
Despite the resounding impact of legislation aimed to harm Black women and dismantle their efforts, Black women and girls continue the organizing, the community repair work, and the protection of our most vulnerable, Yet, there is a persistent underinvestment and astounding retrenchment in the essential infrastructure that Black women provide.
When institutions repeatedly fail to invest in, protect, or support a people, yet continue to benefit from their labor and their buying power, survival becomes mistaken for sustainability and resilience under pressure is too often celebrated, allowing institutions to ignore the conditions that make resilience necessary.
As we embark on another election cycle, our sector must make a seismic shift to match the longstanding efforts that Black women lead as they continue to organize, lead nonprofit organizations that are known for transforming communities, and stand on the front lines challenging unjust systems. Such extraordinary civic stewardship should be rewarded, protected, and meaningfully invested in.
The impact of retrenchment and the promise Black women uphold despite it
In 2020, philanthropies and organizations everywhere decided to take a stand to protect the interests of Black women and the Black community. Now, they have dramatically scaled back, failing where they were once thriving.
As an intermediary funder, our organization Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium. remains deeply embedded in community with grassroots organizations who are providing essential needs and paving the way for systemic transformation. We see firsthand the impact associated with the existing gap in resources that leaves this vital infrastructure without support.
Through our work, we’ve seen funding needs that far exceed what we are able to give. In our most recent grant cycle, we have witnessed a surge in applications for funding. We received over 227 applications across southern states who applied for grant funding, representing an 89 percent increase and a $20M need in funding. We could only accept 24 awardees. And though we are proud of the over $350,000 we were able to distribute to improve the lives of Black women and girls, there are still hundreds of organizations that need support. We know the existing need far exceeds the number of unfunded applicants that have sought funding from our institution.
We’ve also seen a rise in emergency funding requests from organizations providing vital infrastructure to Black women and girls. Many of these nonprofits understand the risk associated with inadequate funding: if they do not receive the resources they need they will be forced to shut down their programming and close their doors. Organizations are expected to maintain their output and impact with less funding for operating and capacity building.
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At a moment where the need for vital resources is increasing, funding is scarce and continues to decline. This inverse relationship means the gap in services that transform communities grows wider. This is especially true in the South where there is persistent underinvestment.
This decrease in funding doesn’t just impact services and programs—it’s also taking a toll on the physical and mental health of Black women. We are hearing about it in our listening sessions, networking engagements, and other gatherings. As an intermediary, we too have felt the impact. This pressure to do more with less isn’t sustainable. The labor of Black women, whose commitment to community outweighs the political moments of the day, lifts whole communities. That work should be celebrated and invested in more deeply.
Even though organizations led by Black women are among the hardest hit by today’s funding contraction, they are still expected to carry the heaviest civic burden while being systematically underfunded. The consequences extend far beyond the organizations themselves. When Black women-led nonprofits lose capacity, the civic relationships that take decades to build can disappear in a matter of months. Communities lose trusted maternal health providers, culturally competent mental health services and healthcare providers, housing advocates, voter engagement infrastructure, and economic anchors—these are just a few examples to illustrate the widespread impact that occurs. The bottom line: community trust erodes. Institutional knowledge disappears.
Black women-led organizations are not simply service providers. They are democratic infrastructure. They translate lived experience into public policy, identify emerging needs before institutions recognize them, and sustain communities long before government or philanthropy respond.
A call to action
Investing in Black-women led organizations isn’t charity. It is one of the most strategic investments philanthropic institutions can make to improve the health of our democracy.
The question before philanthropy is no longer whether it can articulate a commitment to equity. The question is whether that commitment can withstand political pressure. Values that disappear when they become costly are not values, they are branding. Statements issued after moments of national reckoning mean little if commitments evaporate when courage is required. The true measure of philanthropy will never be found in mission statements, strategic plans, or carefully crafted public declarations—it will be found in who it funds when justice becomes controversial, who it stands beside when the political winds shift, and whether it is willing to share the risk that Black women have carried alone for generations.
We must move beyond performative commitments toward sustained investment, recognizing Black women-led organizations not as charitable causes, but as essential democratic infrastructure. Democracy cannot continue to depend on the unpaid, underfunded, and politically convenient labor of Black women. The question is no longer whether Black women will continue to lead. History has already answered that with a resounding yes. The question is whether philanthropy will finally have the courage to follow.
