Over two dozen philanthropic organizations, including those of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, have launched a $100 million five-year initiative called the California Black Freedom Fund. The group will provide funding to organizations like the anti-police Akonadi Foundation.
AP News reports that over two dozen philanthropic organizations and corporations launched the California Black Freedom fund on Thursday. A $100 million five-year initiative that they claim will provide resources to Black-led organizations in the state that seek to “eradicate systemic racism.”
Among the 25 funders is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. Other notable names include philanthropist Laurene Powell and JPMorgan Chase. The involvement of the bank follows its prior commitment to donate $30 billion to combat “systemic racism against Black and Latino people.”
The group said that the new fund is intended to address a “history of underinvestment” by philanthropists and charitable groups in Black-led and power-building organizations. The new group currently holds $32.4 million with the rest of the money to be raised and distributed within the next five years to groups engaging in advocacy and other forms of mobilization.
The fund states that it plans to support Black organizations that are “focused on stopping police violence, promoting education equity, improving health outcomes, championing voter registration and civic engagement and crafting policies around increasing access to housing.”
One example of a group funded by the California Black Freedom Fund is the Akonadi Foundation, an anti-police organization based in critical race theory. Lateefah Simon, the foundation’s president, told The Associated Press: “The idea is not simply a reaction to the George Floyd killing. These foundations have always had an explicit mission and focus of advancing equity.”
While the fund will be supporting groups through grants, it will also provide assistance in research, data, and other key areas. “Philanthropy is the least accountable sector of all sectors,” Simon said. “We really wanted to make sure we were honoring Black freedom fighters by making sure we were making the right grants at the right time.”
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com
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