METRO UNITED WAY ANNOUNCES BLACK L.O.V.E. PARTNERSHIP GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Black-Led Social Change Organizations Receive Historic Multi-Year Investments

Louisville, Ky. (November 1, 2021) – Metro United Way (MUW) is announcing 19 funded partners for a program empowering those affected by racial inequities, by making historic investments in Black-led social change organizations. The Black L.O.V.E. Philanthropic Partnership (BLPP) is part of MUW’s move towards a trust-based philanthropy model, shifting the power back to communities, investing in grass-roots leadership capacity-building and addressing the inherent power imbalances in grantmaking. Funded partners were determined based on specific criteria for eligibility, including field engagement, strategy, mission and program evaluation.

MUW’s shift to a more equitable process is being accomplished by introducing multi-year, unrestricted funding, investing in the voices, needs and desires of the local community and ultimately equipping organizations with the power and capital to generate lasting change in the Greater Louisville region.

“We know that Black leaders have always been proactive, influential members of our community, leading innovative movements that advance the aspirations to live, own, vote and excel,” said Daryle Unseld, Chief Equity Officer at Metro United Way. “This historic investment marks an opportunity to not only recognize these leaders, but build their capacities and create transformational change in our community. I want to thank the many community stakeholders that stepped up to make this happen – from those that helped shape BLPP through the advisory committee to our MUW board that has backed this initiative from the start.”

 

BLPP priorities are as follows:
Live: Access to affordable and healthy food, equitable justice, safe and efficient transportation, health and human services, parks and green spaces.
Own: Affordable, safe housing and home ownership, public safety, economic development.
Vote: Increase of Black voter registration and turnout.
Excel: Equitable access to quality education, living wages, job training and strong neighborhoods.

 

Funded partners across MUW’s seven-county region will receive a total of $1 million over a two-year period. Based on the priorities outlined by Black L.O.V.E., the volunteer-led committee selected the following organizations (10 are brand new partners to MUW):

LIVE:

  • Our mission is to provide compassionate care to underserved community members affected by chronic disease, poverty, and gun violence. We are committed to health equity and ensuring everyone has access to quality care and the ability to choose their healthcare options.
  • The Sickle Cell Association of Kentuckiana provides support and advocacy for individuals and families affected by sickle cell disease in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Our STAR Program offers support, transportation, aid, and resources, while events like our annual walk and gala help fund our initiatives and connect the community.
  • Power Inc. uplifts at-risk youth (ages 16-24) through a holistic approach to education and personal growth. We focus on mental health, substance abuse, and entrepreneurship, empowering youth at risk of illicit activities to become successful entrepreneurs.
  • Life Development Corporation envisions an equitable community where individuals, particularly from Black and Brown communities in Metro Louisville, have access to necessary resources and support. We focus on holistic development through five focal points, addressing systemic barriers to create lasting positive change.
  • HHN2L uses Hip Hop Culture to drive structural change for Black, Brown, and marginalized youth. Founder NyRee Clayton-Taylor, a former Creative Writing teacher, recognizes the importance of connecting with students, especially those who feel academic success is unattainable.
  • Granny's Birth Initiative supports disenfranchised birthing families, particularly BIPOC individuals who are incarcerated, homeless, or in foster care. We aim to provide acceptance and resources to those often overlooked due to societal stigma.
  • For more than 40 years the Center For Neighborhoods has cultivated grassroots leadership, provided leadership education, partnered with neighborhoods in community planning efforts, facilitated civic dialogue among stakeholders and actively participated in neighborhood-based development & improvement projects.
  • Somali Community of Louisville helps the more than 10,000 Somalis in Kentucky obtain necessary resources, services, information and skills needed to build productive and self-sufficient lives.
  • Play Cousins Collective provides meaningful children's programming at community events and meetings to support an active citizenry where parents can organize and advocate for their families without experiencing the barrier of childcare.
  • 2Not1 Fatherhood & Families, Inc. promotes the safety and well-being of children by implementing strategies to keep fathers involved and families together.
  • Joshua Community Connectors provides mental health therapy with weekly therapist sessions, weekly case manager interactions, job training through the Tech Louisville Program and the Kentucky Career Center in West Louisville, job security and placement assistance and housing advice and assistance.

OWN:

  • The Peace Education Program trains youth and adults to build and sustain positive relationships, reducing violence and enhancing personal integrity through conflict resolution and peer mediation skills.
  • Life Development Corporation envisions an equitable community where individuals, particularly from Black and Brown communities in Metro Louisville, have access to necessary resources and support. We focus on holistic development through five focal points, addressing systemic barriers to create lasting positive change.
  • For more than 40 years the Center For Neighborhoods has cultivated grassroots leadership, provided leadership education, partnered with neighborhoods in community planning efforts, facilitated civic dialogue among stakeholders and actively participated in neighborhood-based development & improvement projects.
  • For 57 years, CASI has supported and empowered individuals, families and communities to reach self-sufficiency, providing a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of vulnerable citizens while helping them achieve economic security.
  • The HJW Career and Financial Literacy Institute is an approved housing counseling agency and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to increase public awareness of nonprofit activities, improve the spiritual, physical and psychological well-being of local communities, and promote family strength, youth development and positive family growth.
  • Play Cousins Collective provides meaningful children's programming at community events and meetings to support an active citizenry where parents can organize and advocate for their families without experiencing the barrier of childcare.
  • 2Not1 Fatherhood & Families, Inc. promotes the safety and well-being of children by implementing strategies to keep fathers involved and families together.

VOTE:

  • Life Development Corporation envisions an equitable community where individuals, particularly from Black and Brown communities in Metro Louisville, have access to necessary resources and support. We focus on holistic development through five focal points, addressing systemic barriers to create lasting positive change.
  • HHN2L uses Hip Hop Culture to drive structural change for Black, Brown, and marginalized youth. Founder NyRee Clayton-Taylor, a former Creative Writing teacher, recognizes the importance of connecting with students, especially those who feel academic success is unattainable.
  • Within the Shelbyville Area, the NAACP branch works to ensure political, educational, social and economic equality of the rights of all people with the aim to eliminate race-based discrimination.
  • Play Cousins Collective provides meaningful children's programming at community events and meetings to support an active citizenry where parents can organize and advocate for their families without experiencing the barrier of childcare.

EXCEL:

  • TECH-Nique addresses the representation gap in computer science by offering empowering, community-based opportunities for marginalized groups in technology.
  • Power Inc. uplifts at-risk youth (ages 16-24) through a holistic approach to education and personal growth. We focus on mental health, substance abuse, and entrepreneurship, empowering youth at risk of illicit activities to become successful entrepreneurs.
  • The Peace Education Program trains youth and adults to build and sustain positive relationships, reducing violence and enhancing personal integrity through conflict resolution and peer mediation skills.
  • Life Development Corporation envisions an equitable community where individuals, particularly from Black and Brown communities in Metro Louisville, have access to necessary resources and support. We focus on holistic development through five focal points, addressing systemic barriers to create lasting positive change.
  • Our mission is to empower youth and families through holistic training and opportunities that foster leadership, academic achievement, career success, and self-sufficiency.
  • HHN2L uses Hip Hop Culture to drive structural change for Black, Brown, and marginalized youth. Founder NyRee Clayton-Taylor, a former Creative Writing teacher, recognizes the importance of connecting with students, especially those who feel academic success is unattainable.
  • We provide academic tutoring and real-world learning experiences to help children and youth connect with their unrealized dreams and improve their performance in reading and math, setting them up for future success.
  • Elevate Louisville builds long-term, transformative relationships with urban youth, equipping them to thrive in their communities. Our approach combines accredited classes, adventure, mentoring, and college/career readiness, with high school students teaching character traits to younger students.
  • Sowing Seeds with Faith is a Louisville-based private tutoring service, which uses a Village approach to provide the highest caliber of educational support to students of K-12 in every subject. Though Sowing Seeds with Faith particularly excels in math, reading comprehension and Black history, its team is committed to helping students achieve their academic goals no matter the subject.
  • For more than 40 years the Center For Neighborhoods has cultivated grassroots leadership, provided leadership education, partnered with neighborhoods in community planning efforts, facilitated civic dialogue among stakeholders and actively participated in neighborhood-based development & improvement projects.
  • BrainSTEM University is an EdTech startup that provides online and in-person STEM education for students K-12, increasing STEM access and exposure to students, parents, schools and community organizations.
  • AMPED hosts free music programs throughout Louisville at both schools and community centers, empowering young people and their families to work as a team and learn to express themselves effectively and productively as members of the local community and the world.

In an effort to equip organizations with capacity-building to ensure longevity, all 68 nonprofits that applied for BLPP funding will be provided resources and training for outcome tracking, storytelling, best practices and technology to diversify boards, constituent bases and staff.

The BLPP was open to eligible nonprofits in the Metro United Way seven-county service area, which includes Jefferson, Bullitt, Oldham and Shelby counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties in Indiana.

ABOUT METRO UNITED WAY
For more than 100 years, Metro United Way has empowered individuals and families to achieve their fullest potential by generating meaningful and lasting change in our community. We use data-driven insights to identify and prioritize the community’s greatest needs with a focus on equitable outcomes for all. Together, we fight to improve the disparities that persist in education, income, health, housing, and racial equality in Jefferson, Bullitt, Oldham and Shelby counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties in Indiana. We invite you to stand with us and be a part of transforming Greater Louisville.

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