20 Black-led nonprofit organizations that should be on your radar

Here at Givebutter, we make it our business to champion the changemakers who are transforming their communities and making the world a better place. That's why we're shouting out these 20 incredible nonprofit organizations that are led by and primarily serve Black communities. 

All these organizations are moving, shaking, and making an impact on local, national, and global levels—and some of them are even using the Givebutter platform to fuel their good causes!

Black-led organizations making a national impact 

1. The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund  

Founded by Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland, the WISE Fund supports underfunded Black, indigenous, and women of color-led organizations across the world working on novel solutions to the most pressing challenges facing low-income communities hit hardest by climate change. Their programs fund, coach, and build community and wellness for Black and allied women leaders, and they produce Black Philanthropy Month, an award-winning annual celebration and promotion of Black giving and funding equity worldwide.

2. Black Girls Code

Black geeks unite! Black Girls Code was founded by self-described nerdy mom Kimberly Bryant to create more opportunities for Black girls in STEM. This national organization is actively training 1 million girls to "lead, innovate, and create" in the tech sector by 2040 and has chapters across the country. With programming like "Black art through Javascript" summer camp and a partnership with NASA for girls to explore Mars with Google Pro, we'd say their future is very, very bright. 

3. Children’s Defense Fund

For decades, the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) has been the moral compass for those seeking to end child poverty and disrupt the "Cradle to Prison Pipeline" that has disproportionately impacted Black children and their families. Led by the vision of their founder, Civil Rights Movement leader Marian Wright Edelman, CDF has pioneered programs and policies that seek to give all kids equal opportunity to thrive in their schools and communities.  

4. Black Male Voter Project

Voting is such a fundamental right but has such a fraught history. Countering centuries of disenfranchisement and voter suppression (from slavery through the New Jim Crow), Black Male Voter Project works to engage Black men in the electoral process. With Mondale Robinson at the helm, they've focused their strategy in 17 states where they are organizing to get 300 million folks to the polls. 

5. Southerners on New Ground

As a member-based organization, Southerners on New Ground (SONG) unites LGBTQ+ individuals from across the South to build power and resiliency for those with multiple marginalized identities. Through campaigns, technical assistance, and coalition work, SONG is dedicated to fostering the beloved communities they envision for all people.

6. PolicyLink

"Lifting up what works." That's the mantra of this research and action institute founded by Angela Glover Blackwell. PolicyLink finds, supports, and promotes the best initiatives—large and small—that profoundly impact the health of and access to opportunity in their communities. With partners across the country, PolicyLink has been a leader in articulating what "racial equity" actually looks like in practice and what it requires of society.

7. Color of Change 

Color of Change is an online organizing hub that boasts over 7 million members and is committed to "building Black power, Black joy, and winning justice." Their research and bold campaigns often challenge the media's inaccurate representations of Black communities. They've also created a platform for members to develop and promote their own campaigns at the local level. 

Black nonprofits thinking globally, acting locally

8. Anderson Center for the Arts

Anderson Center for the Arts (formerly Harris County Cultural Arts Center) is a nonprofit theater production company near Houston, Texas. This organization serves as an invaluable cultural hub for Black and Latinx communities in the region. Their 20,000-square-foot venue provides space for performances, art exhibits, events, and advocacy. They house the Harris County Arts Coalition, which brings local artists and organizations together to address COVID-19's devastating impact on the performing arts economy.

9. Mill Creek Urban Farm

Mill Creek Urban Farm in West Philadelphia has been a vibrant space for community education around environmental sustainability and access to affordable, healthy food since 2005. Measuring just one-and-a-half acres, they grow an impressive variety of veggies, fruits, and flowers. Neighbors can shop at their farm stand twice a week—food stamps accepted!  

10. African American Leadership Forum

African American Leadership Forum (AALF) brings Black leaders and organizations together from around the state of Minnesota to build power and address the biggest issues facing their communities. Driven by a "Black-Centered Design" model, AALF is a growing hub for leadership development and cross-sector collaboration for truly community-led solutions.

11. Brave Space Alliance 

A Black- and trans-led LGBTQ+ center on Chicago's South Side, the Brave Space Alliance weaves together mutual aid programs. These programs provide food, housing, and dynamic community-building initiatives that help grow a thriving BIPOC queer community. They stress a "for us by us" model that is culturally competent and affirming for everyone who walks through their doors.  

12. Black Arts MKE 

Black Arts MKE provides performing arts programming for young people in Milwaukee. This organization also creates opportunities for local artists of color to develop their skills and grow their audiences. The work done by this organization helps preserve the richness of African American art and culture for generations to come.  

13. Black Women for Wellness

This California-based nonprofit takes a holistic approach to promoting Black women's health by combining community outreach and education with research and policy advocacy. From maternal health and diabetes prevention to healthy hair, environmental justice, and voter engagement, Black Women for Wellness initiatives model what empowering programming can really look like.  

14. The Brotherhood Sister Sol

Since 1994, "BroSis" has been developing Black and Latinx youth leaders. They provide wraparound services, education, and skills training to equip young New Yorkers to be fierce organizers and advocates for themselves and their communities. Originally based out of a Harlem brownstone, The Brotherhood Sister Sol recently expanded to a beautiful, massive new community space where their programming can flourish even more.  

Black-led charities and organizations using Givebutter to make the world a better place

15. Fund for Black Journalism 

A group of Black publishers started the Fund for Black Journalism to address the urgent need for local reporting by and for Black communities. Their current campaign on Givebutter has already raised over $770K (and is actively rising), thanks to nearly 400 supporters! 

16. A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center

Historian and professor of Black Studies, A.J. Williams-Myers, was a beloved resource for Black historical knowledge in New York's Hudson Valley. The A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center is a community space and cultural library named after him. The center is currently working toward a $13,000 goal to grow its active, essential learning community.

17. Black Fashion Fund

Interns in the fashion industry are notoriously underpaid—if paid at all. The Black Fashion Fund exists to create more equity in this field by piloting a paid internship program for Black students. Plus, Black brands and designers make all of the items included in the curated "Seed Box" of perks for donors.   

18. Claim Our Space Now  

Committed to centering the voices and leadership of Black, queer, and immigrant New Yorkers, Claim our Space Now does just as its name commands. Last year they raised more than $10,000 with an all-day event called Rally for Freedom: Pride for All Black Lives, which celebrated Black voices of the LGBTQ+ movement.

19. International Black Film Festival

The International Black Film Festival, based in Nashville, TN, celebrates the diversity of Black artistic voices across the globe through incredible programming year after year. After a 2-year virtual hiatus due to COVID-19, they are finally back in person! 

20. Black Farmer Fund 

The Black Farmer Fund supports Black businesses across the larger farming and food landscape in the Northeast by getting them the capital they need to thrive. The fund's latest Giving Tuesday campaign shared its vision for a sustainable and equitable food system.

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Are you part of an incredible organization that should be on this list? Tag us @givebutter on social media, and apply or nominate a campaign for our Givebutter Gives Back $10K initiative during Black Philanthropy Month this August!