AmbitioUS Grantees Vu Le and Solidaire Network Receive Prestigious NCRP Awards
By Cate Fox, Ambitio US Director
Hearty congratulations are in order for Ambitio US grantees Vu Le and Solidaire Network , both of whom recently received awards from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) . Vu, author of the Nonprofit AF blog, was announced as the inaugural winner of NCRP’s “Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism.
Solidaire received the “Mover and Shaker” award for Bold Peer Organizing. Award winners lead by example. They risk their comfort, dollars, and voice to stand by communities who work daily to create a fairer, more just society. We all benefit from their work. Thank you, Vu and Solidaire, for all that you do! We applaud the NCRP selection committee for these and all of its excellent choices for this year’s IMPACT Awards.
This article was originally published on Medium. Read it on Medium →
AmbitioUS Black Possibilities in Boston!
By Nyia Hawkins, Ambitio US Fellow
Ambitio US invited changemakers from five organizations to join us at the Assembly of Black Possibilities , an October 2023 fall assembly hosted by Boston Ujima , the Economic Trailblazer behind the nation’s inaugural democratically-governed investment fund. The convening presented an opportunity for Ambitio US to invest in the relational infrastructure that drives the organizations and endeavors we support. Centering Black culture, more than 150 people gathered for the opening discussion, which started with a rhythmic whisper-and-shout call-and-response of, “Black possibilities, Black possibilities, Black possibilities…” Boston Ujima Executive Director Nia Evans called the convening, “…an impact investing conference like no other.”
The gathering was a powerful convergence of working-class individuals, Black and Indigenous community leaders, people of color, and solidarity economy practitioners, along with entrepreneurs, funders, and investors, all of whom shared a commitment to Black community self-determination. The structure of the event provided a platform for funders and changemakers to be in the same room discussing learnings, lessons, and best practices related to five content tracks: Arts, Black on Black Investing, Impact Capital, Land & Real Estate, and Organizing.
We invited cultural strategist and restorative economics practitioner Anasa Troutman. She is leading the redevelopment of Historic Clayborn Temple , a Memphis-based nonprofit organization and cultural anchor with a long history of Black social activism. Anasa co-founded The BIG We Foundation , which sent producer Renisha Mayes, a media company and foundation raising money for an integrated capital investment fund to invest in Memphis neighborhoods facing disrepair and disenfranchisement. Those two organizations combined their individual grants to bring an additional community activist, Veda Rose Robbins. Victoria Jones, Executive Director of the TONE Collective also in Memphis, is helping to lead the $50 million redevelopment of a 10-acre industrial site for Black creatives and the residents of the Orange Mound neighborhood. She scaled down her expenses to bring Tone Development Director Willie McDonald with her to the Assembly. We also invited two organizations that Ambitio US met recently. Dan and Ebony Edwards are the co-founders of Neighborbuilt , a holistic neighborhood-scale redevelopment firm that is rebuilding blighted neighborhoods and creating community ownership opportunities in Kansas City, Missouri. We also invited Jazale’s Art Studio and HomeWorks: Bronzeville Co-Founder Vedale Hill. Vedale is an artist and community advocate leading an effort to redevelop homes into live-work spaces for creatives in a historically Black neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Systemic change does not happen in isolation. It happens in community. Still, it can often feel isolating to changemakers, often navigating the exhilarating yet exhausting journey of pioneering new paradigms. These individuals work long days (at compensation below market compensation rates) to meet the many needs of their communities and stakeholders. If they are Black, Brown, migrant, or a member of another marginalized community, they are also likely facing intersecting forms of oppression. Providing professional development grants for frontline changemakers to attend the Assembly of Black Possibilities with our team supports our collective and individual growth, helps them develop new skills and insights, opens the door to future collaborations among attendees, and reinforces our role as colleagues and allies.
The weight of such monumental tasks can take a toll on changemakers like Anasa, Victoria, Dan, Ebony, Vedale, and their colleagues. Without robust support systems and strong relationships with like-minded individuals, they can become susceptible to burnout, disillusionment, loss of direction, or feeling like they have to rebuild the wheel. Feedback from those we invited suggested that this was an invigorating convening for them; it provided emotional sustenance, intellectual camaraderie, and reaffirmed the mission of their work.
We, as funders and allies, must understand that true systemic change isn’t solely about policies, strategies, or frameworks; it’s deeply personal. These professional development grants underscore our commitment to not just the causes but the people championing them. By investing in both relational and organizational infrastructure, we hope to create a ripple effect, fostering a more robust, resilient, and effective movement toward closing the racial wealth gap, building Black and Brown wealth, and shifting capital, land, and power to communities that have historically been marginalized. Our vision is holistic. By supporting the heart and soul of the movement — the changemakers — we are amplifying the impact of the organizations they represent. We are not only building structures; we are nurturing the very spirit that fuels them.
This article was originally published on Medium. Read it on Medium →