FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2024
Contact: Bilen Mesfin Packwood, bilen@change-llc.com
Black Collective Foundation Minnesota Launches New Initiative to Defend and Double Down on Racial Justice
Expanding a proven California model, MN LEAD brings together legal, advocacy, and philanthropic sectors to help Minnesota-based organizations understand the legal landscape
MINNEAPOLIS – The Black Collective Foundation MN (The Collective) today announced the launch of MN LEAD (http://mnblackcf.org/mnlead), a new racial justice initiative providing organizations in Minnesota with support to navigate legal challenges to race-conscious efforts.
“Organizations and leaders advancing racial justice are under intense pressure from legal, political, and narrative attacks aiming to drive despair and diminish resources for programs that uplift Black communities and communities of color,” said Lulete Mola, President and Co-Founder of The Black Collective Foundation MN. “In the face of these challenges, The Collective calls on philanthropy, business - along with all who hold the power and will - to double down, not back down. The MN LEAD initiative is a multiracial effort building a robust, interconnected ecosystem that proactively addresses the strategic challenges to race-conscious programming, all while continuing to center the genius of Black-led change.”
MN LEAD (Legal Education, Advocacy and Defense) expands on LEAD for Racial Justice, a proven model in California launched by the California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF). The initiative was created in response to a series of coordinated attacks on civil rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Emboldened by the United States Supreme Court’s June 2023 opinion in the Students for Fair Admissions cases (“SFFA”), lawsuits against race-based funding and education efforts are undermining decades of collective efforts to address structural racism and discrimination for Black communities and communities of color. For example, in September, the Fearless Fund agreed to permanently close its grant program, which awards funds to small businesses led by women of color. This follows a June ruling where a U.S. Federal Court of Appeals suspended the program for Black women business owners, using a Reconstruction-era law meant to protect formerly enslaved people to marginalize minority-owned businesses.
MN LEAD is the first in a multi-state expansion of the LEAD initiative, coordinated by CBFF. “The racial justice movement is powerful, which is why there is an organized interest to stop our progress,” said Marc Philpart, Executive Director of the California Black Freedom Fund. “Racial justice efforts remain legal and necessary. Opponents to affirmative action are sowing confusion and fear, so LEAD aims to provide the tailored guidance and information organizations need at this moment. We are honored to partner with The Collective to expand this important initiative to Minnesota.”
Building on the success of the LEAD initiative, MN LEAD brings together legal, advocacy, and philanthropic organizations and leaders to help Minnesota-based organizations navigate the legal landscape, prepare for this pivotal moment, and chart a proactive path forward. MN LEAD will provide various resources to the Minnesota racial equity ecosystem, including a legal assessment tool and FAQ on race-conscious programming and grantmaking. Organizations and leaders also will be able to access educational webinars and in-person training sessions primarily for funders and nonprofit organizations and initiatives serving communities of color, while also considering other sectors, such as government, business, and education. These sessions will cover the legal landscape and specific rulings, contextualizing these issues within the broader history of movement building.
There has been a notable regression in commitments to racial justice across politics, business, and philanthropy. The Black Collective Foundation MN’s 2023 research revealed that, in recent years, less than 4% of funding for Minnesota nonprofits was dedicated to racial equity, with only around 0.5% directed toward racial justice. These numbers are even lower than the national averages, where 6% of all grant dollars were allocated to racial equity and just 1% to racial justice.
Support for MN LEAD is provided by McKnight Foundation, Bush Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Headwaters Foundation for Justice, Pohlad Family Foundation, and Carlson Family Foundation.
The California based LEAD initiative was designed and implemented in partnership with Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, Adler & Colvin, Public Counsel, Lawyers’ Committee of the San Francisco Bay Area, and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
About The Black Collective Foundation MN
The Black Collective Foundation MN believes Black-led change is genius. As Minnesota’s first Black community foundation and a pioneer of culturally specific philanthropy nationwide, The Collective partners with individuals and institutions to boldly invest in organizations, leaders, systems, and ideas. Together, we are realizing a more just Minnesota where all Black people are holistically well, living in dignity and prosperity. www.mnblackcf.org
MN LEAD will provide various resources to the Minnesota racial equity ecosystem in early 2025, including:
Legal Assessment Tool
In-person and Virtual Trainings
FAQs on race-conscious programming and grantmaking
MN LEAD offers a legal assessment tool, FAQ on race-conscious programming and grantmaking, and other resources. Organizations and leaders also will be able to access educational webinars and in-person training sessions primarily for funders and nonprofit organizations and initiatives serving communities of color, while also considering other sectors such as government, business, and education. These sessions will cover the legal landscape and specific rulings, contextualizing these issues within the broader history of movement building.
THANK YOU TO MN LEAD INITIATIVE ANCHOR FUNDERS
…and special thanks to Minnesota Council on Foundations for amplifying and supporting the work
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation
Why MN LEAD?
In our role as a backbone organization for Black-led change—and the state’s leading philanthropic organization on racial justice—the Black Collective Foundation MN is shaping a Minnesota where all Black people are holistically well, living in dignity and prosperity.
The Collective boldly invests in organizations, leaders, and ideas that embody the genius of Black-led change, working to fulfill the promise of a more just Minnesota. We support courageous visionaries across our state as they usher in a new tomorrow by shifting existing systems and creating news ones.
Today, as we approach the 5-year remembrance of the racial justice uprising that sparked here in Minnesota and ignited across the world, racial justice movements are facing legal attacks intended to drive fear and despair. These litigations are part of a series of coordinated attacks on civil rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, undermining community-led efforts to address structural racism and advance racial equity and racial justice. These lawsuits and rulings are not just about winning or losing; they aim to reduce resources for racial justice and weaken the movement.
The retreat from racial equity and justice began before these lawsuits, and the impact extends beyond the courtroom. In the face of these attacks, our response must be stronger and more determined, and above all, we must remain fearless.
Join Us
The Collective is not backing down; we are doubling down. We invite you to support, partner, and benefit from this initiative. If you are a funder, donor, or community organization interested in participating in MN LEAD, please complete the following form. Please note that various resources will be available in early 2025. We appreciate your interest!