We See You Grants
Through our We See You grants, the Black Future Co-op Fund invests in the Black nonprofit leaders and Black-led organizations who have invested in the wealth, health, and well-being of Black communities for generations.
Black nonprofit leaders and Black-led organizations have long been at the forefront of our collective liberation — strategizing, organizing, and caring for our communities. Yet, they have been systematically under-resourced for generations. Only 1.8% of traditional philanthropic dollars go to Black-led organizations, according to ABFE.
Our intent is to shift the philanthropic paradigm by investing in the aspirations, ideas, and needs of Black communities, while breaking down obstacles to accessing long-denied resources. Grants are unrestricted funding for leaders and organizations to use as they see fit to advance their missions. Grants are also made barrier free, with no burdensome application process or reporting requirements.
Since our launch in June 2020, the Black Future Co-op Fund has committed approximately $8.6M in We See You grants to support a liberated future with shared prosperity for Black people across Washington.
2024 We See You Grants
For our 2024 We See You grants, the Black Future Co-op Fund is investing $2.6M to support the rest, healing, and liberation of 20 Black nonprofit leaders statewide, in partnership with the BIPOC Executive Directors (ED) Coalition.
A core pillar of our strategic plan is to shift the philanthropic paradigm. We believe that in order to do that we need to recognize historical and present-day inequities; shift how we resource people and communities; and normalize rest, healing, and liberatory practices as part of the work. We’ve also heard from people statewide that prioritizing rest, healing, and liberation for Black nonprofit leaders is a high priority, with positive ripple effects on our organizations, communities, Washington state, and beyond.
Award recipients are Black nonprofit leaders who have poured their time, talent, and treasure into advancing racial justice, often at a cost to their own well-being. They include a diversity of leaders throughout Washington state who are serving their communities through arts and culture, restorative healing, educational innovation, policy development, and more — all to further Black self-determination.
These grants will enable Black nonprofit leaders across the state to use as they see fit to support rest, healing, and liberation.
In addition, the Fund is partnering with the BIPOC ED Coalition to offer executive coaching and organizational development support to leaders who would like assistance in planning for rest and/or a potential sabbatical from work. Read more about the importance and impact of rest and healing on individuals, organizations, and communities.
For more information about the Fund’s grantmaking, see responses to frequently asked questions.
