10 Transformative Black and Latina-Led Orgs Helping to Build an Equitable Economy
Authors: Cristina Diaz-Borda, Editorial Manager, Daydriane Chapman, Digital Strategy Associate
Economic disparities continue to grow every year—our economic system was not built to benefit everyone equally, and BIPOC communities bear the brunt of this injustice. At Common Future, we believe in an economy in which power is accessible to all, no matter their race and class. To achieve it, we must invest in bold solutions centering those most directly impacted by economic injustice.
"We’re seeing example after example of backlash to what little racial progress has been made in this country. While the backlash itself is not surprising, what’s noticeable is how widespread it is… Individually, they may seem benign and race neutral, but their application and selective targeting most certainly isn't. While this trend is troubling, and will only continue to grow, we won’t simply acquiesce."
—Co-CEO Jennifer Njuguna
Since the June 2021 Supreme Court ruling striking down the legality of race-conscious college admissions policies, we’ve seen a wave of legal attacks targeting diversity initiatives, including those regarding “fellowships, hiring goals, anti-bias training and contract programs for minority or women-owned businesses.” But we know that there is still much work to be done to achieve the kind of economy that values the present-day labor and the historical forced contributions of Black and Indigenous communities. And we know that those communities, having experienced exclusion, have ideas for what an inclusive and equitable economy looks like. Our Accelerator program invests in and lifts up those ideas and leaders.
For our 2023 cohort, we received over 264 applications nationwide. This year, that number surged to over 500 applications, speaking to the need for unrestricted capital and community for BIPOC leaders doing this work. We need programs like this now more than ever, and if you are a funder, expert, or mentor, you can help these participants directly—more on that below.
Last October, building on the success of the 2023 Common Future Accelerator program, we announced the search for 10 BIPOC women or nonbinary-led organizations working on models that address the racial wealth gap. The 2023 program unlocked more than $2.5M in follow-on funding, over 50+ connections to mentors, announcement press in Impact Alpha (and many more), and NASDAQ Blog features for Miren, SEED, and CCDS.
The 10 organizations selected are addressing the racial wealth gap through a diverse range of approaches such as co-operatives, educator empowerment, housing justice and ownership, workforce development in the criminal legal system, and reparations in the cannabis industry. Without further ado, we are so proud to introduce you to the Common Future Accelerator—2024 Cohort.
- Black Wildflowers Fund
Black Wildflowers Fund is a non-profit focused on removing systemic barriers for Black educators who want to pursue leadership pathways and design innovative schools—without compromising their freedom, power, identity, or financial security. They are creating a liberatory education movement that invests in the limitless potential of Black children and Black leaders through their grant programs and community of practice.
- CannaBronx
CannaBronx was founded to ensure that the communities most impacted by the war on drugs are at the forefront of realizing equity and truly benefit from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape New York’s cannabis industry from the ground up. They believe in a future where the very community members who have been most impacted by the criminalization of marijuana can heal from generations of trauma and be at the front of the line to build community wealth, economic and immigrant justice, health, and beyond.
- Cooperation New Orleans
Cooperation New Orleans has grown into a movement of cooperators, artists, organizers, educators, family members, workers, and New Orleans residents with the same desire for a cooperative New Orleans. Their mission is to develop worker-owned cooperatives and the structures to support them, with a focus on poor and working class Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities.
- Fit To Navigate
Fit to Navigate empowers BIPOC communities incarcerated or re-entering society. They co-create programs with them, ensuring cultural relevance and ownership by providing wellness education programs designed to empower individuals and spark transformation in Ohio communities affected by the criminal justice system, while creating a path to entrepreneurship, sustainable wages, and reduced recidivism for all underfunded communities in Ohio. Graduates have become educators, architects of their future, and changemakers in their communities.
- Forward Cities
Forward Cities believes that every entrepreneur deserves an equitable chance to launch and grow a business that generates wealth for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Together with their partners, they are organizing action-learning networks that provide dynamic opportunities for the champions of this work within and across communities to share lessons learned, acquire effective new tools and strategies, and test promising models and approaches designed to generate new knowledge and insights that can inform the work of the networks and build the field.
- Justice for the People Legal Center
Justice for the People is one of the first organizer-led movement legal centers that focuses on housing and land justice in Colorado. They conduct education and outreach to organize and build community alongside impact litigation and enforcement, with a vision of transformative justice to democratize, decolonize and liberate land, housing and wealth toward a solidarity economy.
- ReMix IDEAS
ReMix IDEAS is building a supportive ecosystem for Black-owned businesses in Arkansas by disrupting cycles of intergenerational poverty and creating pathways for economic mobility through business ownership. They do this by building supportive ecosystems, inspiring and educating Black entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses, and leveraging strategic partnerships in the community to create meaningful, transformative, and measurable coordinated actions that lead to economic mobility for Black communities in Arkansas.
- United for a Fair Economy (GOSA) project
United for a Fair Economy’s Grassroots Organizing School of Alabama (GOSA) is addressing the need for organizer-leaders from Alabama’s Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities to advance base-building initiatives that promote economic justice. GOSA will resource existing Black- and Brown-led community-based organizations with BIPOC organizers who have the skills and economic analyses to mobilize communities for systemic changes.
- WisConnect Holding Cooperative LWCA
WisConnect provides Black women entrepreneurs with the tools needed to sustainably scale their businesses through a supportive, nurturing environment that offers childcare, promotes health and wellness, supplies affordable commercial retail space, and provides leadership and investment opportunities. They are able to create this dynamic business environment through their cooperative governance structure, their robust professional network, their access to major redevelopment projects within historically disinvested communities, and their connections to global trading opportunities at their sister sites located across the world.
- Worker Justice Wisconsin
Worker Justice Wisconsin is building worker power in solidarity with labor and faith allies. Many of the workers they partner with not only lack a voice, but also regularly experience wage theft, discrimination and unsafe working conditions. They offer several programs to combat these injustices collectively: workers’ rights trainings, direct worker organizing on the job, and incubation of worker cooperatives. They embrace a dual prong approach–organizing and incubation–so that workers can resist exploitation today and move toward a worker-led economy in the future.
Our Accelerator program offers $500,000 in unrestricted grants and support by removing social, financial, and political barriers hindering transformative change. In the coming months, we’ll provide these organizations with customized curriculum, peer-to-peer support, executive and financial coaching, and theory of change consulting.
"Through this cohort, I was gifted access, knowledge, and community. I never imagined I would walk away with greater insight into who I am, what I am capable of accomplishing. Thank you.”
— 2023 Accelerator Cohort Participant.
As we explained last year, in a society where systemic biases persist, BIPOC women can experience isolation, microaggressions, or imposter syndrome in predominantly white or male-dominated environments. By creating a primarily BIPOC women and non-binary accelerator cohort we are able to offer an environment where participants can find understanding, validation, and shared experiences. This psychological safety encourages open dialogue, vulnerability, and fosters a sense of belonging that is empowering and liberating.
We are looking to grow the network of BIPOC mentors and funders, with experience in social impact work whose work aligns with that of our Accelerator cohort—especially folks with fundraising experience and support. If you’re interested in participating, please reach out to accelerator@commonfutore.co. We can’t wait to share more as these organizations continue to grow and impact their communities and the world.
