A State of Emergency

George Floyd. Marielle Franco. Anderson Arboleda. These are just a few of the thousands of Black Americans from Minneapolis to Rio, Bogota, and worldwide killed in racist violence by police or self-avowed white supremacists. Concerned about the rising tide of white supremacist and Neo-Nazi violence, the United Nations even has created a special commission to try and stem the growing tide of hate. This disturbing trend, along with a backlash against successful, progressive policies to redress decades of anti-Black injustice, are creating a state of emergency for Black communities everywhere. In already economically tenuous Black communities worldwide, poverty is increasing; health is declining; environmental racism is common. More than ever, we need to support the community-based Black funders and nonprofits worldwide providing vital services and an outlet for peaceful protest for our democratic rights.

A Brazilian Opportunity in Crisis

At 56% of the country’s population, Brazil has the world’s largest Black community outside of Africa. Unfortunately, it also has the Black Diaspora’s worst anti-Black violence epidemics and socioeconomic indicators. Every 23 minutes, a Black Brazilian, usually a young Black male, is killed by the police. Politically or racially motived assassination is common, often intertwined with the struggle for basic human, civil, land rights, among other issues.

Black Brazil is ready to respond with a long tradition of innovative, impactful philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. What they need is more flexible funding to meet the growing community need. While statistical studies are underway, the Black Brazilian philanthropy and nonprofit sector is even more underfunded than those of North America. More funding will enable the community to address expanding racial disparity and injustice.

A Time for Black Diaspora and Allied Action

Brazil needs the support of the global Black Diaspora and its diverse allies, including those living in the US. So, starting Black Philanthropy Month 2023 and throughout this year’s giving season, we are taking the unprecedented step of launching a pilot public awareness and fundraising campaign for Black Brazil’s underfunded community philanthropies. The BPM Brazil: WISE Love in Action’s funding would be used to support the small nonprofits and businesses that are a lifeline for embattled Black communities.

The community issues funded include health and human services education, the arts, civil rights, women’s rights, and environmental justice.

To date, the amazing, award-winning Black-led, founded, and benefiting community philanthropies confirmed as partners are:

Agbara Fund: Currently a WISE grantee and winner of BPM’s Global Black Funding Equity Award, the Fund is Brazil’s first Black women’s philanthropy. Based in Sao Paulo, the Fund works nationally to advance Black women’s economic justice throughout Brazil. https://fundoagbara.org.br/en/acting/

Casa Preta Hub: The Sao Paulo-based Preta Hub is a community arts funder supporting Black and other underfunded cultural leaders and entrepreneurs in Brazil. https://pretahub.com/pretahub-plataform

Instituto Guetto is a racial equity nonprofit providing scholarships and education services to improve the life chances of Black and Indigenous Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Salvador. Learn more at https://guettoinstitute.my.canva.site.

Olabi: WISE grantee partner, Olabi is a community funder based in Rio de Janeiro funding grassroots technology and other Black and Brown women innovators to promote economic opportunity and justice, while addressing Brazil’s most compelling social and environmental issues. olabi.org.br

The Society for the Protection of the Underprivileged (SPD): Based in Salvador, Bahia, this 200-year-old organization is the first Black foundation in South America. Originally founded to raise community funds to buy the freedom of Brazil’s enslaved Africans, today SPD is funding grassroots nonprofit organizations providing vital services to the most disadvantaged Black and other Brazilians in Bahia, including its urban and rural areas called “quilombas” in Brazil. www.salvadordabahia.com.

In addition to grants, this pilot will provide capacity building and leadership development support for participating philanthropies as needed. The campaign kicks off on August 31, 2023, the last day of Black Philanthropy Month, at the Reunity Summit and BPM closing program. This pilot Campaign will run through December 31, 2023. If successful, BPM and WISE will add new Black Brazil community philanthropies during 2023 or 2024.

A Call to Collective Action for Funding Equity and Racial Justice

Racism has always been a global challenge, requiring global solutions. BPM is more than a global Movement. We are translocal, connecting Black communities and allies across the planet into a concerted year-round effort to build our resources for economic and racial justice.

We’ve been global from the start. A diverse group of Black women representing 20 different countries from the US, Africa, and global Black Diaspora inspired me 22-years-ago to envision, incubate, and formally launch BPM with our historic 2011 summit. Many other leaders from the US and worldwide joined us over the past two decades.

As a result of our collective contributions, BPM now has been celebrated by 20 million people in 60 countries and is growing with new BPM Movements launched in the UK and Colombia in 2023. Today BPM is celebrated by more countries than Black History Month.

Black communities are losing hard-won human rights gains across the world. It’s time to use our unique network to build a global, mutually supportive Black economy of giving and investment that promotes economic justice—the last frontier of the ongoing struggle for Black human and economic rights.

Please join us and give to the BPM Brazil Campaign: WISE Love in Action. Together we can advance true philanthropy that promotes love for all humanity, including Black people. You can support the Campaign at bit.ly/WISEgive. We’ll be unveiling learning and other opportunities for you to meet our Brazilian partners and learn more about the issues. And look for progress reports over the course of the Campaign.

In solidarity and love for all humanity,

Dr. Jacqueline Bouvier Copeland
BPM, WISE Fund, and Reunity Founder

About The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund (WISE)

The WISE Fund (theWISEfund.org) is a three-year-old funding equity enterprise and backbone organization to Black Philanthropy Month. A US-based public charity, WISE’s mission is to support disadvantaged Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian and women innovators. Currently, our work focuses on founders in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, The Caribbean, Africa, India, and Australia, including climate technology nonprofits and company start-ups.

Black Philanthropy Month (blackphilanthropymonth.com) was initiated in 2001 and launched as a year-round movement culminating every August to celebrate and advance Black giving and promote fair access to capital for Afro-descendant communities worldwide. Black Philanthropy Month is a program of The WISE Fund. Reunity: The Global Black Women’s Funders Network is a coalition of diverse Black women philanthropic and business funders united in helping Black women leaders be well while doing good; and honoring the contributions of Black women philanthropists worldwide in collaboration with others. Reunity (reunity.net) is the co-founder of the Black Women Give Back List, an awards program of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University’s Lilly School of Philanthropy.