Black Philanthropy Month

Black Philanthropy Month Black Philanthropy Month

Since 2011, Black Philanthropy Month has been observed annually in August to celebrate and amplify Black giving. It is a month-long social action campaign designed to inform, inspire, and invest in Black philanthropic and funding equity. We are proud to be part of the movement and to share inspiring stories and ways that you can support organizations in the Mid-South that directly impact the lives of the Black community.

Stories of Giving Greater Giving Moment 31 Ways to Give

Amplifying Black Philanthropy

Community Foundation staff members Veronica Jamison and Aerial Ozuzu share the significance of Black Philanthropy Month.

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City and County Proclamations City and County Proclamations

City of Memphis Proclamation

City of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland designates August Black Philanthropy Month.

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Shelby County Proclamation

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris designates August Black Philanthropy Month.

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STORIES OF GIVING STORIES OF GIVING

Community Foundation donors use their funds here to make strategic investments in the organizations and causes they value. Below, read the stories of donors who are committed to seeing the Mid-South flourish, to continuing a family legacy of service and generosity, and who collectively give to help women and youth thrive. Learn more about the benefits of a charitable fund. 

Belinda and Calvin Anderson

Throughout decades of service and philanthropy, the Andersons have created a legacy that has improved amenities and quality of life for so many in the Mid-South.

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Archie Willis and Alex Willis

Through the Annie Ervin Willis Scholarship Fund, her family helps students achieve their educational goals while honoring the legacy of a beloved matriarch. The Daily Memphian reports.

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Philanthropic Black Women of Memphis

Creating a giving circle allows a group of nine professional women to collectively support organizations that benefit women and youth.

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GREATER GIVING MOMENT GREATER GIVING MOMENT

Each week, WKNO 91.1. FM broadcasts the Greater Giving Moment, where Julia McDonald from the Community Foundation shares how to give smarter and do more good for your causes and your community. Below, read or listen to this month's segments that focus on Black Philanthropy Month and the rich tradition of Black giving in Memphis and across the nation. Explore all Greater Giving Moment segments.

Amplifying Black Philanthropy Month

Black Philanthropy Month encourages us to embrace the Fierce Urgency of Now and to consider ways we can support philanthropic giving by—and to—the Black community.

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Black Giving's Local Legacy

Black philanthropy has been prevalent in Memphis practically since our founding, whether through faith-based tithing, giving as relief for individuals or educational improvement, or donating to uplift the Black community.

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Black Giving’s Impact

Despite historically possessing lower net worth, Black Americans have a rich culture of charitable giving—one that is sometimes under-appreciated or even ignored. Data demonstrates remarkable giving by Black families.

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31 Ways to Give for 31 Days 31 Ways to Give for 31 Days

Funding equity begins with awareness and trust in some of the incredible Black-led, Black-serving organizations that are helping people and families and lifting up neighborhoods across our community. These are groups on the ground, listening and responding to the voices of those they serve. Explore a list of 31 organizations in the Mid-South that directly impact the lives of the Black community and click on each to visit their LIVEGIVEmidsouth.org profiles.

    Giving a hand

    Legacy of Legends CDC gives a hand by creating trauma-informed and resilient communities that focus on preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It offers mental health support to individuals and groups and focuses on asset-base community development.

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    Giving time

    Neighborhood Christian Centers and its 1,700+ volunteers give time by guiding those in need toward stability and sustainability through compassionate, Christ-centered ministries and empowerment programs.

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    Giving advice

    Nearly 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression, yet only 15% of those affected seek professional help. The staff and volunteers of Apple Seeds give advice by providing maternal mental health services, counseling, and education to any woman who needs it, regardless of her ability to pay.

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    Giving a Chance

    For 25+ years, Knowledge Quest has worked to vigorously equip youth to maximize their potential through intellectual and character development. Working primarily with kids from 38126 and 38106, Knowledge Quest's programs give a chance by ensuring that the children in those ZIP codes have every chance to succeed.

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    Giving grace

    MICAH is a coalition of faith, labor, and community organizations partnering for power and acting for equity in Memphis and Shelby County. There are many faith communities and nonprofits that believe in justice and equity in Memphis, and MICAH gives grace by bringing these organizations together to partner for power and act for those shared values.

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    Giving talent

    Man Up Teacher Fellowship provides students in high poverty, urban communities, particularly male students of color, access to high quality male teachers and advances policies that promote equity in public schools. The Fellows are all men of color from the Mid-South, driven by a need to give back to the community.

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    Giving two cents

    TONE empowers Black artists and communities so they can share creativity and knowledge across the spectrum of Blackness in order to elevate Memphis as a global cultural beacon.

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    Giving credit

    RISE works to transform the financial well-being of low income working people, thereby improving the community. With programs like Save Up, the agency (literally) gives people credit to help them take the steps to build individual wealth.

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    Giving testimony

    The Wellness & Stress Clinic, a ministry of Healing Word Baptist Church, takes the organization's testimony of faith and moves it into action. It offers free primary care, social work/case management, emotional fitness, and legal services in South Memphis

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    Giving a second look

    A Fresh Start to a New Beginning reintegrates ex-offenders into the community by providing holistic services that will empower these individuals to live a self-sufficient life. The agency helps clients navigate the obstacles in the way of an already overwhelmed person to becoming a self-sufficient, productive member of the community—one who deserves a second look.

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    Giving a pat on the back

    Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid-South builds one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. This unwavering encouragement—a powerful pat on the back—gives more than 600 kids a year the confidence and support they need to flourish.

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    Giving a Heads-Up

    MoXie Way provides a safe environment for youth through leadership programs that help them to learn, grow, and inspire others. The agency gives its youth the heads-up that they can be exactly who they want to be. The agency helps them handle their emotions and elevate their distinctive learning styles and personalities. No two kids are alike, and MoXie Way supports their unique spirits however they can.

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    Giving a Try

    The Collective Blueprint increases the socioeconomic mobility for Opportunity Youth by building pathways to thriving careers. It provides relationships, resources, and a network of support to help young adults give a try to discover and develop their unique talents in order to advance their personal and professional objectives.

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    Giving benefit of doubt

    While some may look past disabled veterans on the street, Alpha Omega Veterans Services gives the benefit of the doubt, recognizing that no one returns home from war unchanged. Alpha Omega Veterans Services provides homeless and disabled veterans a host of services including housing, counseling, and job training. Its goal is to fully reintegrate vets with family and community, supporting them as they move on to employment and permanent housing.

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    Giving a Leg Up

    Literacy Mid-South provides literacy resources to learners of all backgrounds and ages. The team at Literacy Mid-South knows that no single organization is going to get us to its goal of a 100% literacy rate. Which is why it works in collaboration with a community-wide network of school districts, businesses, and other nonprofits to serve students—giving them a leg up to navigate the world.

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    Giving Voice

    Whole Child Strategies gives voice by empowering neighborhoods and communities disproportionately affected by poverty to self- determination in addressing barriers hindering children from graduating on-time, career and college-ready—providing funding, critical supports and coordinated efforts around collective accountability, public advocacy, and community development.

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    Giving treasure

    Home ownership is critical to wealth-building. Habitat for Humanity gives treasure by partnering with people in our community to help them build or improve places they can call home through new home construction, rehabilitation projects, and Aging in Place accessibility and mobility modifications for seniors.

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    Giving a Damn

    Built by Orange Mound for Orange Mound, JUICE Orange Mound develops and advances self-reliance by building capacity and engagement among citizens and businesses in Orange Mound and the larger community.

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    Giving a Little

    Starting with what may seem like giving a little—a new dress or the right shoes for work—allows Dress for Success Memphis to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

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    Giving a Lot

    Since 1932, the Memphis Urban League has worked to assist African Americans, the underserved, and economically disadvantaged to expand economic opportunities and secure equality, power, and civil rights. It's a cornerstone institution in the Black community that continues to give a lot to advance workforce development and educational achievement.

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    Giving back

    The Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis encourages philanthropy and fosters leadership among women and support programs that enable women and children to reach their full potential. Its staff and volunteers give back to improve economic mobility, including its goal to reduce poverty in the 38126 ZIP code.

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    Giving Love

    Love Doesn't Hurt gives love to members of our community who are often overlooked by the criminal justice system, even when they have been victimized. The agency not only brings emergency services assistance to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, but also leads trainings that promote diversity and inclusivity throughout our city.

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    Giving Credence

    Anyone can be a techie, according to CodeCrew. It gives credence to this bold statement by mentoring underrepresented youth in Memphis to be tech innovators and leaders through practical, hands-on computer science education.

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    Giving a go

    Landmark Training Development Company creates sustainable agricultural environments in food desert communities, starting in its home neighborhood of Orange Mound. Not only is the organization feeding its community, but it encourages the next generation of urban farmers to give it a go with the Youth Urban Farm Training Program.

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    Giving Thought

    As an intermediary organization, Center for Transforming Communities brings as many residents and institutions as possible into thoughtful conversation with one another—compensating for the power dynamics that normally warp such relationships—so that a significant consensus can take hold.

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    Giving a Green Light

    Through the work of their three funds, the CDC Capacity Fund, the Memphis Empowerment Fund, and the Small Business Loan Fund, Community LIFT greenlights projects that might not otherwise have capital in order to accelerate the revitalization of disinvested neighborhoods to create a thriving Memphis for all.

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    Giving Your Word

    A promise of safety is a weighty one, but one that the Family Safety Center of Memphis and Shelby County gives its word to ensure every day. The agency takes an innovative approach to removing barriers for victims of domestic violence by bringing together the resources they need to find safety, justice, and hope.

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    Giving Inspiration

    Indomitable Families was founded by Dr. Crystal DeBerry after her husband was incarcerated. She knew personally the mental health consequences on a family affected by incarceration. As she learned to addresss those affects in her own family, she created an organization to inspire other families burdened by incarceration and strengthen the resources available to that community.

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    Giving Shelter

    The Hospitality Hub connects individuals with the resources they need to begin their journey out of homelessness. The agency's experienced staff identifies challenges faced by unhoused clients and works with them to implement solutions that best suit their needs while giving shelter.

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    Giving a Break

    I Am My Sister's Keeper alleviates many of the stressors which prevent single mothers from becoming successful. The agency gives women a break by providing affordable housing, child care, tutoring, and access to healthy meals.

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    Giving Joy

    For The Kingdom is a faith-based organization that seeks to inspire and impact inner-city youth in an adventurous, fun camping experience. Its camp and retreat center gives joy and offers a place of prayer, adventure, laughter, bonding, unity, and retreat from the storms of life.

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