BLO Organizational resiliency
A Shift Towards Organizational Resiliency
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The Black Equity Collective believes “progress on Black equity and racial justice must be part of any forward movement in the United States, and will only be achieved when philanthropic investments, public policies, and institutional practices boldly confront racial injustice.”
The long-term sustainability of BLOs and Black institutions to build power and fight for racial equity is critical in supporting a more just and equitable society, not just for Black people but all people.
Current BLOs must fortify their foundations to steadily grow in size and scope to meet growing community needs. This is also necessary for the long fights to build social, political, and economic power. Because of this, the Collective is committed to building the Organizational Resiliency of BLOs, starting with the Black-led and Black-empowering organizations within our network.
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The Collective defines Organizational Resiliency as an organization’s ability to pursue its mission from a position of strength and adapt through socioeconomic and political uncertainty. Organizational Resiliency programs invest in the leadership and institutional assets of an organization so that they can build long-term power for Black people. Organizational Resiliency was identified by the 15 Black Equity Initiative organizations as the number one gap in their philanthropic funding, citing the need to support their institutions’ longevity.
Build
Support geared towards core infrastructure to ensure organizations have a strong foundation.
Catalyze
Support for organizations seeking to build power or scale their impact.
The Black Equity Collective’s Organizational Resiliency Tracks
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The Organizational Resiliency (OR) Tracks are one part of the Collective's attempt to develop an ecosystem of strong and sustainable Black-led organizations that are networked for the long-term pursuit of their individual and collective missions. The OR Tracks couple nonprofit management and technical assistance with multi-year infrastructure development grants.
OR Tracks are only open to member of the Collective. Most of the OR Tracks provide members with:
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Nonprofit management training and leadership development coaching support
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Facilitated connection to network organizations
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Organizational specific plans to advance resiliency goals
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Multi-year funding to support plan implementation
The Collective’s OR grant programs are organized into three tracks. Each offers a different area of support for organizations, depending on their needs.
How to get involved
An independent community review body composed of Black nonprofit leaders and funders are selected to make grant decisions for all Organizational Resiliency programs.
If you are a BLO interested in applying for any of the Organizational Resiliency Tracks, the first step is to become a member of the Collective. Learn more about membership here.
Are you a nonprofit management, organizational development consultant, or professional interested in partnering with the Collective? If so, contact Laresha Franks at laresha@blackequitycollective.org.
Are you are a funder interested in supporting the Organizational Resiliency Tracks, contact Kaci Patterson at kaci@blackequitycollective.org.