Racial Equity Fund
For the second year in a row, United Way for Southeastern Michigan is sponsoring the Racial Equity Fund. Created by a diverse and inclusive workgroup of community members over the course of two months in the summer of 2021, this fund seeks to prioritize the lived experience of our communities. The fund’s objective is to empower Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and people most harmed by systemic oppression. Our efforts seek ensure all people experience authentic inclusion and have equitable access to resources and opportunities to thrive and reach their full potential.
This year, $1 million is available in grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 directly for organizations with BIPOC executive leadership. Last year, 23 organizations were awarded. Learn about the recipients here.
If you have any questions about the fund, please email Ray Stoeser at RacialEquityFund@UnitedWaySEM.org.
Fund Details
- Flexible, unrestricted and general operating grant amounts range between $10,000 and $50,000.
- Organizations must have BIPOC executive leadership.
- Organizations should propose programming for funding that responds to and mitigates the effects of racial inequities and/or builds power and infrastructure in communities of color across Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.
- The fund seeks to support organizations often excluded from the traditional funding ecosystem. In an effort to increase the diversity of organizations and programs support, past Racial Equity Fund recipients are not eligible to apply.
FUNDING PRIORITIES
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- BIPOC leadership development/training
- DEI skill building
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- Youth development/after-school programing/youth leadership development
- Family services
- Education
- Food stability/health
- Trauma support/mental health and wellbeing
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- Programing to support BIPOC owned businesses
- Employment / Skilled trade
- Financial literacy
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- The Racial Equity Fund is open to funding organizations or programs working in pursuit of racial equity in emerging or undefined spaces. If your program does not fall neatly into the above priority areas, that doesn’t mean it isn’t meeting a critical need. Please elaborate when prompted in the application.
Donate to support the 2024 Racial Equity Fund cohorts and other equity initiatives