Voters’ Rights Act Decision
A Joint Statement from the National Network of Black Foundations & Funds
In this moment, we stand together, Black community foundations and funds from across the country, grounded in history, clear in purpose, and unwavering in our commitment to Black communities.
We acknowledge the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court that further guts the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a cornerstone piece of legislation born from the courage, sacrifice, and collective action of those who believed deeply in the promise of democracy. This decision is not an isolated moment. It is part of a long and painful pattern that Black people in America know all too well: two steps forward, four steps back.
These moments are shaped by years of underinvestment in the very organizations working to build and protect Black civic power. When racial justice and power-building efforts are not sustained, the infrastructure needed to defend participation, shape policy, and hold institutions accountable is weakened—leaving communities more vulnerable to the very rollbacks we are witnessing today.
Even at the height of national commitments to racial equity, funding for racial justice and power building never exceeded 1.4% of institutional giving. This gap is not incidental. It reflects a broader pattern of disinvestment in the systems and strategies required to secure lasting change.
We are Black-led philanthropic institutions rooted in community, accountable to the people and places we serve. We are not only grantmakers, we are builders of infrastructure, stewards of resources, and anchors of long-term investment in Black communities. We have long served as trusted conveners, collaborators across sectors and geographies, and bridges that move vision into sustained impact.
At this moment, we are doubling down: investing in Black-led and Black-serving organizations, strengthening civic engagement and leadership infrastructure, protecting and advancing Black voice and power, and turning inward, toward our own communities, as the most reliable source of our resilience and forward motion.
We know that reclaiming and protecting voting rights is essential. We also know that Black freedom has never relied on a single pathway. It requires mobilization, ownership, and deep cooperation within our communities alongside sustained, long-term investment.
To those who believe in this work:
Join us. Invest your time. Lend your voice. Direct your dollars to the Black funds and foundations leading this work locally and nationally. Strengthen the ecosystem that has always sustained our communities, often in spite of the systems around us.
To the broader philanthropic sector:
This moment requires more than statements of solidarity. It requires sustained, multi-year investment in Black-led, power-building organizations and the infrastructure that supports them. The time to act is now.
Because even in the face of erosion, we are building. Even in the face of resistance, we are advancing. Together, we will generate the groundswell necessary to secure not just temporary shifts, but our commitment and history show our collective mission means lasting, transformative change.
If your organization is a Black-led, independent grantmaking institution committed to advancing Black communities and would like to learn more about joining the National Network of Black Foundations & Funds, please contact Ebonni Chrispin, Project Manager, at blackfunds@poisefdn.org.
In solidarity and action,
National Network of Black Foundations and Black Funds
African American Community Fund
Black Collective Foundation MN