Black August is Black Philanthropy Month

Black August began in the 1970s with Black freedom fighters who were incarcerated in California prisons. They wanted to bring awareness to prison conditions and honor the lives and deaths of Black political prisoners killed by the state in the fight for Black liberation.

Black Philanthropy Month, founded by Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland with the support of Reunity in 2011, is a global celebration and concerted campaign held in August to elevate African-descent giving and funding equity.

Black August teaches us the importance of continued Black resistance and that liberation is a long, collective struggle. And Black Philanthropy Month reminds us that Black communities have always practiced philanthropy through care, mutual aid, and movement-building long before institutions ever took notice.

This August, we uplift the Black-led, Black-rooted movements that fight every day toward liberation for us all, like:

• The Black Collective building political and economic power for Black communities in South Florida through organizing, surveying over 10,000 Black residents to develop a people’s agenda, and training the next generation of organizers through the Revolutionary Organizing School.
• Women Engaged celebrating 10 years of power-building in Georgia by engaging Black women and young adults in civic life, organizing for comprehensive reproductive healthcare and reparations, and uplifting Black femmes through the inaugural WEHonors program.
• Chicago South Side Birth Center preparing to open Illinois’ first Black midwife-led, community-centered birth center, advocating for birth equity, and creating liberatory care spaces for Black birthing people in response to devastating health disparities on Chicago’s South Side.
• Movement for Family Power working nationally to abolish the family policing system and restore the rights and dignity of Black families by resourcing grassroots organizers, launching national campaigns, and serving as a hub for the growing movement to end reproductive injustice in child welfare.

Imagine the impact if philanthropy truly prioritized Black women-led organizations and provided the necessary resources to expand their work, organizing communities, building collective power, and strengthening the bonds that sustain long-term change.

The gains from this investment would multiply, fueling more transformative victories and advancing a just, inclusive democracy rooted in equity and liberation.

We invite you to join us in committing to bold, equitable giving and meaningful support this Black August and Black Philanthropy Month.