No one achieves success alone, especially in the craft beer industry. Consider Funkytown Brewery's Head Brewer, Zack Day, and Chicago’s own Jay Westbrook, also known as The Black Beer Baron. Both have charted unique paths to success, but they didn’t do it on their own. Zack received a scholarship from the Michael James Jackson Foundation (MJF), an organization dedicated to supporting technical education and career advancement for Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the brewing and distilling industries. Meanwhile, The Black Beer Baron was honored with the Illinois Diversity in Brewing Scholarship from the Siebel Technical Institute and Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, which aims to create a more inclusive and representative craft beer industry in Illinois by providing equitable access to education and technical training.

While diversity remains a challenge in craft beer, there are individuals and organizations committed to community support, scholarships, and fostering diversity within the industry.

Our goal is to send two BIPOC brewers—whether they are beginners or seasoned professionals—to the Siebel Institute for brewing education courses, providing them with the same opportunities that Jay and I had.

With your support, we can make someone else’s dream come true!