Our Story
Launched in August 2019, the Black Funders Network of the Bay Area was established to organize soulful, inclusive, and rewarding environments for funders and philanthropy professionals to learn, strategize, and re-energize to best support Black communities and organizations across disciplines.
We aim to create opportunities that ensure Black funders (and their allies) have an abundance of financial resources, information, confidence, and positional power to support Black-led organizations and initiatives. As a LinkedIn-based community, we use the platform to stay engaged with our members, send reminders for programs, updates, and share other relevant information.
Courtesy of NCG
Our Members
Our members are affiliated with the following organizations:
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Akonadi Foundation
All Stars Helping Kids
Blue Shield of California
California Black Freedom Fund
California Wellness Foundation
Care Star Foundation
Central Valley Community Foundation
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
David & Lucile Packard Foundation
East Bay Community Foundation
East Bay Community Law Center
Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Grove Foundation
James Irvine Foundation
Kenneth Rainin Foundation
Marin Community Foundation
Metta Foundation
Pacific Foundation Services
Peralta Colleges Foundation
San Francisco Foundation
Sierra Health Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Stupski Foundation
Sunlight Giving Foundation
Tipping Point Community
Walter & Elise Haas (Sr) Fund
Our Team
Our team works collaboratively, across generations, and with a love for different and unique perspectives on how to best fulfill our mission and stay true to our values.
Paula Ambrose
“I believe in the truth of our connectedness as a community.”
Board Co-Chair
Byron Johnson
Board Co-Chair
"In order to invoke change in our community, we must first actively participate in educating ourselves on our collective needs."
Board Member
(Founding Member)
James W. Head
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.”
Board Member
Anitra Smith
“My joy and liberation is deeply connected to being of service to my community.”
Raquiba LaBrie
"I do the work because racial justice and social justice feed me intellectually, politically and spiritually.”
Board Member
Sande Smith
Board Member
"The power of Black philanthropy must be multiplied for us to secure the fuel to keep fighting."
Dakarai I. Aarons
Board Member
"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up"
Steve Barton
“Being in the field is critically important to inform resources, knowledge, access, and expertise getting to Black communities.”
Board Member
(Founding Member)
Cedric Brown
Founding Member
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“Servicing Black communities is not only my responsibility, it is also self-renewing.”
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Zoe Broussard
Program Manager
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“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
Our Commitment
We are intentional, progressive, and unapologetically dedicated to serving and advocating for multifaceted Black communities in the Bay Area. We are committed to our core values, which guide our work and decision-making as an organization.
Love of Black People
We love and value Black people, Black culture, and Black history.
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Safety and Inclusion
We create inclusive environments in our Network activities so that all participants feel welcomed, validated, comfortable, and able to enjoy their authentic selfhood.
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Thinking Big
We are bold in our approach by holding space for radical imagination and possibility both within and outside the limits of our current systems and institutions.
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To serve as strong advocates for Black communities, we must be active, accountable, and collaborative partners who work to understand the needs articulated by our communities.
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Connection to Community
Courage
We act with foresight, strategy, and boldness, even amid headwinds.
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Human Dignity
We believe that all people deserve to be valued and have access to the resources needed to reach self-actualization.
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Learning
We are committed to learning and evolving to best fulfill our mission.
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