After the summer of 2020, many people and foundations were activated to increase giving to communities of color they hadn’t been before. Three years later, what have been the effects of that public conversation and increase in commitment to supporting this type of work? In May 2023, the Star Tribune covered this topic exactly, analyzing a report released by the Black Collective Foundation MN. Their findings—funding to support racial equity initiatives—still only makes up 3% of grants in Minnesota, less than the national average of 6%.
More largely, a 2023 report by the Chronicle of Philanthropy continues to show that organizations led by and/or serving Black people, Indigenous people, or people of color receive less funding than their white-led counterparts. They further report: “...We believe that these patterns along racial and ethnic lines could make it harder for nonprofits to fill gaps in the services not fully provided by the government and companies — particularly for organizations serving marginalized communities.”
More reading:
- Visit the Black Collective Foundation MN's website to download the report.
- Read the Star Tribune's analysis of the report's findings.
- Read the Chronicle of Philanthropy's research brief on funding for BIPOC nonprofits.
Act
Donating to causes that are led by and/or serve BIPOC individuals is one way that, as a donor, you can put your values into action and help bridge the funding gap, even in a small way.
To help you discover causes that are BIPOC led and/or serving, you can use our search filters to help discover organizations who report being BIPOC-led or primarily serve BIPOC communities, and voila—you now have a list of causes to connect with!
For questions about the BIPOC-led, BIPOC-serving, or LGBTQ+ serving filters on GiveMN.org, please reach out to us at help@givemn.org.