ABFE A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities

ABFE was proud to contribute to the 2026 Philanthropy Infrastructure Conference  , hosted by the United Philanthropy For...
07/22/2026

ABFE was proud to contribute to the 2026 Philanthropy Infrastructure Conference , hosted by the United Philanthropy Forum in Washington, D.C., where our leadership helped advance critical conversations on Black philanthropy, race-explicit grantmaking, narrative change, and the evolving legal landscape.

Our featured sessions included:
- Equity Under Review: What Happens to Black Funding When the Pressure Mounts? with Tahira Christmon, ABFE Vice President of External Affairs and Sector Organizing, and Leslie Nwosu, ABFE Manager of Networks & Partnerships, who explored findings from ABFE’s Equity Under Review: Black Voices in Corporate Grantmaking at a Crossroads report and discussed how philanthropy can sustain race-explicit investments amid increasing pressure. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/etaueqKh

- The True Cost of Code-Switching and Why Language on Race Still Matters, where Susan Taylor Batten, ABFE President and CEO, joined sector leaders to examine the importance of race-explicit communications and share insights from ABFE’s Holding the Line: Black-Led Nonprofits and Race-Explicit Work Amid Backlash report. Access the report now: https://lnkd.in/e6FW2GQt

- READI, Resilient, and Responsive: Navigating the Legal Landscape Together with E. Bomani Johnson, ABFE Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Candice Simmons, ABFE Program Manager, who equipped philanthropic leaders with practical legal guidance, communications strategies, and resources through ABFE’s Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI). Learn more about READI: https://lnkd.in/ej_RHSEt

As philanthropy continues to navigate an evolving landscape, ABFE remains committed to helping the sector lead with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to racial equity.

ABFE was proud to contribute to the 2026 Philanthropy Infrastructure Conference  , hosted by the United Philanthropy For...
07/22/2026

ABFE was proud to contribute to the 2026 Philanthropy Infrastructure Conference , hosted by the United Philanthropy Forum in Washington, D.C., where our leadership helped advance critical conversations on Black philanthropy, race-explicit grantmaking, narrative change, and the evolving legal landscape.

Our featured sessions included:
- Equity Under Review: What Happens to Black Funding When the Pressure Mounts? with Tahira Christmon, ABFE Vice President of External Affairs and Sector Organizing, and Leslie Nwosu, ABFE Manager of Networks & Partnerships, who explored findings from ABFE’s Equity Under Review: Black Voices in Corporate Grantmaking at a Crossroads report and discussed how philanthropy can sustain race-explicit investments amid increasing pressure. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/etaueqKh

- The True Cost of Code-Switching and Why Language on Race Still Matters, where Susan Taylor Batten, ABFE President and CEO, joined sector leaders to examine the importance of race-explicit communications and share insights from ABFE’s Holding the Line: Black-Led Nonprofits and Race-Explicit Work Amid Backlash report. Access the report now: https://lnkd.in/e6FW2GQt

- READI, Resilient, and Responsive: Navigating the Legal Landscape Together with E. Bomani Johnson, ABFE Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Candice Simmons, ABFE Program Manager, who equipped philanthropic leaders with practical legal guidance, communications strategies, and resources through ABFE’s Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI). Learn more about READI: https://lnkd.in/ej_RHSEt

As philanthropy continues to navigate an evolving landscape, ABFE remains committed to helping the sector lead with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to racial equity.

Time is running out! Proposals for ABFE’s Narrative Change Request for Proposals (RFP) are due this Friday, July 17th.Le...
07/16/2026

Time is running out! Proposals for ABFE’s Narrative Change Request for Proposals (RFP) are due this Friday, July 17th.

Learn more and apply now by clicking the link 🔗 in our bio or visit www.abfe.org

We’re seeking a strategic partner to help build the organizational foundation for the next phase of our Narrative Change Initiative by facilitating organizational learning, strengthening alignment, and helping develop the long-term strategy that will guide this work.

If your expertise includes narrative change, philanthropy, racial justice, organizational strategy, or facilitation, we’d love to hear from you.

Don’t miss the opportunity to partner with ABFE—submit your proposal by this Friday’s deadline.

Join ABFE and leading philanthropic, academic, and policy experts for a timely conversation on the opportunities and cha...
06/23/2026

Join ABFE and leading philanthropic, academic, and policy experts for a timely conversation on the opportunities and challenges AI presents for Black communities and the role philanthropy can play in building lasting power, influence, and leadership in the AI era.

Register now: https://www.abfe.org/events/

Learn about emerging investments, including the Humanity AI Fund, and explore how philanthropy can support entrepreneurial talent, policy leadership, narrative change, and Black-led efforts to influence AI governance and equitable outcomes for generations to come.

🎤 Moderator: Spencer Overton, George Washington University Law School
Panelists:
▪ Michele Lawrence Jawando, Omidyar Network
▪ Allison Scott, Kapor Foundation
▪ Roy Austin, Howard University AI Initiative

This conversation reflects ABFE’s commitment to strengthening Black leadership by ensuring Black communities have the knowledge, influence, and institutional power needed to shape the future of emerging technologies.

Whether you’re a new member or have been part of the ABFE community for years, our upcoming Member Orientation is design...
06/18/2026

Whether you’re a new member or have been part of the ABFE community for years, our upcoming Member Orientation is designed to help you make the most of your membership.

📅 Wednesday, June 24, 2026
⏰ 12:00 p.m. ET
🔗 Register now: https://www.abfe.org/events/abfe-new-member-orientation-2

Join us to explore member benefits, connect with ABFE’s funder communities and peer networks, and learn about the programs, convenings, and engagement opportunities available through membership. Together, these opportunities strengthen the relationships, knowledge, and collective leadership needed to support thriving Black communities.

Space is limited, so we encourage you to register early.

🚨 Happening Next Monday! Join us for the next ABFE Monday Membership Spotlight Series featuring Baisha Whitten, Communit...
06/10/2026

🚨 Happening Next Monday!

Join us for the next ABFE Monday Membership Spotlight Series featuring Baisha Whitten, Community Organizer and Advocate with the African American Roundtable MKE ().

Discover how AART secured a groundbreaking $600,000 participatory budgeting victory in Milwaukee and transformed a vision of community governance into real investment for Black communities. Learn practical strategies your neighborhood can use to advocate for and fund what truly matters.

Register now by clicking the link 🔗 in our bio or visit ww.abfe.org/events

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a leader helping shape systemic change and community power in action. Register today and be part of the conversation!

As legal challenges, executive orders, and political attacks targeting DEI and race-explicit work continue to intensify,...
05/26/2026

As legal challenges, executive orders, and political attacks targeting DEI and race-explicit work continue to intensify, many organizations are being forced to navigate uncertainty, heightened scrutiny, and pressure to pull back their messaging. In this moment, communications leaders need practical tools, strategic guidance, and spaces to align with peers before responding publicly or advising others.

This webinar is designed to help prepare you for critical communications moments—whether you are speaking publicly, advising leadership, supporting grantees, guiding your board, or navigating institutional messaging during rapidly shifting conditions.

Register now: https://www.abfe.org/events/readi-room-briefing-what-bold-race-explicit-communications-philanthropy-looks-2026

Learn more about READI: https://www.abfe.org/racial-equity-advancement-and-defense-initiative-readi

What does the Harambee 2026 Annual Conference mean to the next generation of Black philanthropic leadership?In her power...
05/20/2026

What does the Harambee 2026 Annual Conference mean to the next generation of Black philanthropic leadership?

In her powerful new reflection, Nush Televine Zweh shares how her experience as ABFE’s Bowie State University Philanthropy Fellow and her time at Harambee 2026 deepened her understanding of leadership, representation, and community-centered philanthropy. From navigating identity and belonging to witnessing Black leadership and collective action in real time, Nush’s story offers a meaningful and timely reflection on why spaces like Harambee continue to matter so deeply in this moment.

Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/e_vcV55a

And now, you can relive the experience yourself—the official Harambee 2026 photo gallery is now live on ABFE’s website. Explore the moments, memories, conversations, and collective energy that brought more than 1,000 leaders, funders, advocates, and changemakers together in San Francisco and revisit the spirit that made this year’s convening so impactful.

Check out the official photo gallery: https://lnkd.in/e_g43ine

Final call! 🚨 Happening today at 12:00 PM EST — join the next installment of ABFE’s Membership Monday Spotlight Series f...
05/18/2026

Final call! 🚨 Happening today at 12:00 PM EST — join the next installment of ABFE’s Membership Monday Spotlight Series featuring Lori Villarosa, Founder and Executive Director of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE), alongside PRE Senior Fellow Ben Francisco Maulbeck for a timely conversation grounded in the latest report PRE, Derailed: Rising Attacks and Retreating Resources for Racial Justice.

Register now and learn more by clicking the link 🔗 in our bio or visit: https://lnkd.in/eswfnrXE

As funding for communities of color continues to decline and attacks on racial equity intensify, this is an important opportunity for funders, philanthropic leaders, advocates, and changemakers to better understand the current landscape and explore what it will take to sustain meaningful investment in Black communities moving forward. Join us for a critical conversation on meeting this moment with clarity, courage, and action.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais is not an isolated event—it is part of a broader, calculated effort...
05/01/2026

The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais is not an isolated event—it is part of a broader, calculated effort to strip power from Black communities.

For years, ABFE and our partners have sounded the alarm about the chronic underfunding of Black-led nonprofits, racial justice groups, and power-building organizations. Today, the consequences of that disinvestment are impossible to ignore.

As Black-led organizations are increasingly asked to “mute” their identity or are deemed “too risky” to fund, philanthropy must confront a hard truth: this country cannot live up to its ideals if Black communities are not resourced to lead.

Now is the time to reverse harmful giving trends, trust Black leadership, and commit to long-term investment that builds power where it is needed most.

We’ve issued a message to philanthropy on what this moment demands.

Read the full statement on the homepage of our website.

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