Aug. 2, 2022

Giving by African Americans, in support of African Americans and their community institutions, is older than America. Often, says writer and philanthropy advocate Valaida Fullwood, that effort has been through churches. And it still is.

But Fullwood has a broader mission, proclaimed in the slides below and in her presentation this morning. “To move forward,” she suggests, involves amplifying Black voices; shifting power such that Blacks have more control over issues affecting their communities; strengthening the local Black philanthropic infrastructure; and increasing both quality and quantity of funding.

Quantity of funding could mean more dollars per gift. But Fullwood’s New Generation of African American Philanthropists, now in its 15th year, was premised on members giving just a buck a day into a collective that would make grants. That concept, Fullwood said, has won the small group a global reputation. The vision of collectively addressing community needs is one that many thousands of Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s African Americans could afford, and become part of.

The New Generation website is here. The group’s Foundation for the Carolinas donation site is here.

Below the morning’s video are slides from Fullwood’s presentation. The slides may be downloaded as a PDF here.