With more corporate allies and individuals joining the call for racial justice than ever before, it should be a watershed moment for Black nonprofits. But of the $450 billion donated annually in America, still only a fraction goes to Black-founded organizations. What’s more, on the most recent list of America’s largest charities compiled by Fortune, none on the list are Black-led.

Give Blck is a new brand and digital product that’s changing that.

In mid-2020, what started as a simple, crowdsourced spreadsheet to answer the question of where to donate, quickly went viral over email and on Instagram (@giveblck & @thechristina99). Then, the new organization — co-founded by two Black female entrepreneurs and leaders in the philanthropy space: Christina Lewis, founder and president of All Star Code, and Stephanie Ellis-Smith, owner of philanthropic advisory firm Phila Engaged Giving, as well as Dr. David Setiadi, an entrepreneur and CTO of @Point of Care— enlisted Work & Co to turn Give Blck into an online database.

Work & Co led strategy, design, and development of the Give Blck site, which launched in September. One of the top challenges preventing Black-founded nonprofits from receiving as much money as other charities is awareness. Another is the assumption that these nonprofits are narrow in their missions. That’s why Give Blck is organized across dozens of verticals like Arts & Culture, Health, Athletics, Environment, Education, Civil Rights, LGBTQIA+, and Criminal Justice.

“We know that ongoing giving stems from people aligning their causes with their passions, so we envision Give Blck as a tool that both corporate and individual donors can use to prioritize the Black community long term, not just now, and make necessary shifts to their investment norms,” said Lewis. “A race-conscious approach to giving —giving Black— will lead to change that advances communities and society as a whole.”

Give Blck exists to elevate all Black organizations in America and create an easy-to-use, comprehensive database to support Giving Black. By channeling more capital into Black hands, it creates domino effects for donors, benefactors, and their communities.

“Racial disparities in funding not only limit the impact of Black-founded organizations but without equity in funding for the entire social sector, philanthropists inadvertently contribute to inequities in society,” said Ellis-Smith. “Donors who care about supporting social change must think intentionally and proactively about race and racial equity.”

Since launch, Give Blck has more than doubled the number of organizations on the site, growing to include 500+ organizations across all categories. In just a matter of three months, it’s grown into a full-fledged movement to ensure that giving Black will not be a fleeting moment.

Several prominent organizations have now signed on as official partners including: Ford Foundation, a nonprofit grant-making organization advancing human achievement for over eight decades; Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest evaluator of charities; and Benevity, the leader in global corporate purpose software.

Microsoft has invested in Give Blck through its Philanthropies arm as part of its mission to help improve the lives of Black and African American citizens through the power of data, technology, and partnership.
Give Blck has also been endorsed by public figures including: Kate Behncken, Vice President, Lead of Microsoft Philanthropies; Piera Gelardi Co-Founder of Refinery29, and Celeste Ng, Best-selling author of Little Fires Everywhere.