Many Black-led organizations face scarce funding, a need for better infrastructure and added capacity, as well as ways to connect, share, and heal with their peers.

After a tumultuous economic recession in 2008, and seasons of economic shifts including extreme increases in rent and changes in funders’ priorities, many of these organizations have found it challenging to rebound and sustain their position as critical providers. In 2016, EBCF and leaders from other philanthropic organizations formed a funders’ collaborative to address these unique needs. In 2017, we joined with philanthropic partners across the Bay Area to create an initiative to bolster BLOs called “Accelerating and Stabilizing Communities through Equitable Nonprofit Development: Black-Led Organizations,” known today as ASCEND: BLO.

The goals of ASCEND: BLO are to:

 -Enhance the growth, sustainability, impact, and sense of community among Black-led anchor institutions in the Bay Area in order to ensure the long-term vitality of those organizations and the communities of color they serve.

 -Apply a fresh, dynamic, and replicable approach to collaborative capacity building that further develops the nonprofit sector with a lens towards race and equity.

Peer networking and learning with access to relevant workshops, annual summits and regional convenings are available to BLOs in six Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara.

Learn more here.