ATLANTA, Aug. 28, 2024 — In celebration of today’s national observance of Black Giving Day (Give 8/28), the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium (Southern Black Girls) is proud to announce the winners of their 2024 Black Girls Dream Fund grant cycle! Established to transform possibilities into realities, the Black Girls Dream Fund serves as the Southern Black Girls’ signature funding vehicle, channeling substantial resources and grant-funding opportunities to Black women-led organizations and impactful projects that benefit and empower Black girls and women in the southern United States – Alabama, Arkansas, East Texas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
“Announcing Black Girls Dream Fund winners is always a moment of immense pride and joy for us,” says Chanceé Lundy, Interim Executive Director of Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium. “We are super excited to support a diverse group of projects and organizations that are making significant strides on behalf of Black women and girls in the south and beyond. Each grantee brings a unique vision and dedication to their work, and we look forward to the positive changes they will bring to their communities.”
The 2024 Black Girls Dream Fund cycle received over 200 eligible applications requesting support for a variety of projects and programs that align with the organization’s five (5) core funding categories: Education, Health + Wellness, Economics, Social Justice, and Leadership + Empowerment. After undergoing a competitive review from the Southern Black Girls Wisdom Council and Youth Ambassadors, winning recommendations were made to the Southern Black Girls leadership who then made final decisions on all grant awards, ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. The 2024 cycle awarded 34 grants totaling over $526,000 to Black women-led organizations across 13 southern states.
Rising above reports confirming that Black women and girls receive less than one percent of the $4.8 billion in philanthropic investments in the South, and recent data confirming that Black women and girls receive only 0.5% of $66.9 billion from foundations, totaling just $5.48 per woman and girl of color in the United States, the Southern Black Girls have made it their mission to raise $100 million over the next decade to financially empower the goals of Black girls and women. To date, they have already awarded $5 million to 250 Black women-led organizations and 800 girls across the south. These numbers are inclusive of 2024 Black Girls Dream Fund and #BlackGirlJoyChallenge grantees.
“Our commitment to transforming the landscape for Black women and girls through the Black Girls Dream Fund continues to drive us,” states LaTosha Brown, Visionary Founder of Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium. “This year’s grant recipients represent the very essence of innovation and leadership within our communities. As we celebrate their achievements, we are reminded of the ongoing necessity to support and elevate Black-led initiatives that challenge systemic barriers and ignite change. Together, we are building radical futures where dreams are not just envisioned but realized, empowering the next generation to lead with both courage and conviction.”