Closing the Racial Wealth Gap
January 17, 2022 8:19 PM Subscribe
Please share with me groups/charities that are working to close the racial wealth gap in the US, particularly through mutual aid and down payment assistance.
There are a lot! Do you have a geographic area you'd like to focus on (most downpayment assistance organizations are local)? Do you want a more traditional focus (e.g. single family homeownership) or a more social housing focus (e.g. supporting the creation and subsidy of community land trusts)? Do you want your donation to go to direct support or are you ok supporting related organizing and policy work (which is also very needed)?
If you have a local progressive community fund (like North Star Fund in NY or Bread and Roses in Philly), their lists of grantees may give you some ideas for organizations to support. Nationally, Solidaire might also give you some ideas.
Finally, CDFIs (community development financial institutions), are often the financial institutions doing the work needed to ensure people and neighborhoods that have been redlined out of the mainstream banking system have safe, affordable financial services (including the opportunity to buy homes). Some CDFIs are 501c3s and take donations, others aren't. So, you might take a look at the Opportunity Finance Network website to see if the work of any of your local CDFIs speaks to you.
posted by snaw at 5:04 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you have a local progressive community fund (like North Star Fund in NY or Bread and Roses in Philly), their lists of grantees may give you some ideas for organizations to support. Nationally, Solidaire might also give you some ideas.
Finally, CDFIs (community development financial institutions), are often the financial institutions doing the work needed to ensure people and neighborhoods that have been redlined out of the mainstream banking system have safe, affordable financial services (including the opportunity to buy homes). Some CDFIs are 501c3s and take donations, others aren't. So, you might take a look at the Opportunity Finance Network website to see if the work of any of your local CDFIs speaks to you.
posted by snaw at 5:04 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
"In Her Hands: The largest U.S. guaranteed income program supporting Black women"
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:41 AM on January 18, 2022
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:41 AM on January 18, 2022
One of my good friends is actively involved with Catriceology Homes For Black Women (FB link). This is their current campaign.
posted by belladonna at 7:00 AM on January 18, 2022
posted by belladonna at 7:00 AM on January 18, 2022
Check out Buy Back Black Debt, a project of Sonya Renee Taylor.
"a project of interracial spiritual and economic relationship building. The goal is not simply to pay off the random debt of Black folks, but to re-establish the possibility of human connections and relationship through disrupting active institutions of white supremacist delusion in Black lives. This project is a local, family and community organized process that benefits the lives of Black folks in your proximity."
So, donors don't give money to a big organization that distributes the money to people in need. Donors apply through a form, then are paired with people who have debts. Donors give directly to those people in the way that is most appropriate to the situation.
posted by oxisos at 9:26 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
"a project of interracial spiritual and economic relationship building. The goal is not simply to pay off the random debt of Black folks, but to re-establish the possibility of human connections and relationship through disrupting active institutions of white supremacist delusion in Black lives. This project is a local, family and community organized process that benefits the lives of Black folks in your proximity."
So, donors don't give money to a big organization that distributes the money to people in need. Donors apply through a form, then are paired with people who have debts. Donors give directly to those people in the way that is most appropriate to the situation.
posted by oxisos at 9:26 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by wowenthusiast at 9:29 PM on January 17, 2022