Black Equity Collective Announces New Initiative with Microsoft,

Nonprofit Finance Fund

Los Angeles, CA, October 20, 2021— The Black Equity Collective (BEC) is working with Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) and Microsoft’s Nonprofit Tech Acceleration for Black and African American Communities (NTA) to provide training and coaching focused on building the core infrastructure of Black-led and Black-empowering member organizations of the BEC.

The collaboration comes as the BEC launches its inaugural Organizational Resiliency Tracks, a cohort based program facilitating organizational resiliency that enhances and sustains power in the Black community. The 15 organizations in the cohort will benefit from learnings and technical assistance on the building blocks of nonprofit organizational development and management that leads organizations to sustained growth.

“The launch of the Organizational Resiliency Tracks and the ability to work with Microsoft’s NTA and NFF to provide training to our members is the type of infrastructure building organizations need to thrive,” said Kaci Patterson, Founder and Chief Architect of the BEC. “We will continue to foster these relationships and bring funders and communities together in strengthening the long-term sustainability of Black-led and Black-empowering organizations in Southern California.”

“At Microsoft, we realize the importance of bringing equity within our Black communities,” said Darrell Booker, Corporate Affairs Specialists for NTA. “We can support this mission by delivering technology and skills training, but we rely on foundations to meet us halfway by bringing needed funding and other capacity-building opportunities. That's why this collaboration with the Black Equity Collective is so essential because they understand how we together can transform nonprofits and the communities they serve.”

Through the partnership with NFF, the cohort will receive individualized financial management training which may cover topics such as ​​budget development, multi-year budget projections, scenario planning, capitalization and full cost planning, cash flow planning, and financial reporting and monitoring.

"We are honored to support Black Equity Collective community leaders as they plan for long-term financial resilience," said Annie Chang, Director of NFF. "Black-led social justice organizations do demanding, complex, and critical work, and we aim to back their missions with relevant and responsive financial strategies and tools."

In the cohort model, members will also work with Amber Wynn, a nonprofit consultant and “philanthrepreneur,” to receive training and instruction on the fundamentals of nonprofit organizational development and foundational work that better positions organizations to obtain funds that support long-term sustainability.

“I am excited to be a part of the ORT program because it addresses the root cause of the disparities our nonprofits face in philanthropy--unsustainability,” said Wynn. “Unfortunately there is social injustice in philanthropy just like there is in other parts of society. This program helps to level the playing field by equipping our leaders with the knowledge, skills, and resources that powerfully positions their organizations for success.”

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Black Equity Collective is a community-public-private partnership with Black equity as its central, unifying force. The focus is to strengthen the long-term capacity and infrastructure of Black-led and Black-empowering social justice organizations in Southern California (Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire). To learn more, visit www.blackequitycollective.org

Microsoft’s Nonprofit Tech Acceleration for Black and African American Communities program provides nonprofits with technology grants and technical consulting to help increase the impact of their missions.The short-term goal of the program is to help 1,000 community-based organizations access technology and use it effectively. In the first four weeks following its launch, the program connected with 200 organizations. To learn more, visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits/technology-resources-black-nonprofits

Nonprofit Finance Fund

Nonprofit Finance Fund® (NFF®) is a nonprofit lender, consultant, and advocate. For more than 40 years, we’ve worked to strengthen nonprofit organizations and improve the way money flows to social good. We are committed to building a more equitable and just social sector, and helping community-centered organizations led by and serving people of color access the money and resources they need to realize their communities’ aspirations. To learn more, visit https://nff.org/

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