By Doyal D'angelo Bolin
The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI), established through the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), emerged from a critical observation by civil rights leader Jean E. Fairfax, who started her philanthropic work in Arizona in the 1980s, then serving on the board at ACF as founder of the Black Legacy Endowed Fund.
Fairfax recognized a fundamental misalignment – the foundation's leadership did not reflect the diverse community it aimed to serve, nor did its philanthropic efforts adequately address the needs of Arizona's African American community.
Fairfax's inquisitiveness sparked collaboration with former ACF executive Jacky Alling and former board member Michael Kelly, leading to the formation of BPI as a task force focused on data-driven community engagement within the Black community.
The initiative operates on a distinctive "give-get" model, where members contribute $500 annually and commit to raising awareness about BPI's mission. This approach has proven remarkably effective, spawning three additional giving circles: the African American Women's Giving and Empowerment Circle, Real Engagement through Active Philanthropy (a men's giving circle), and Students Engaged in Ethical Donations (a youth-focused circle).
Collectively, these four circles have distributed nearly $2.5 million across 205 grants to Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits since 2016.
Leaders within BPI, like ASU clinical instructor Dr. Angela Allen, each have their own areas of expertise, but they all help steer the grant cycle for important topics like health initiatives and human services, early childhood education, STEAM education, workforce development, housing, arts and culture, and the environment.
Most recently, BPI’s education fund became the BPI Ebonee Flack Sifuentes Education Fund, named after its former co-chair who championed college, career and entrepreneur readiness. Sifuentes passed away in 2024 suddenly at the young age of 40-years-old, but her legacy lives on through this fund.
BPI volunteers and donors work in a manner intended to create long-term change by helping black organizations recognize and articulate their impact.
"When organizations go back and analyze their programs after receiving funding, they often discover they're reaching more people in the African American community than they initially realized," Dr. Allen said. "The challenge was they couldn't effectively disseminate or publicize their work without adequate resources."
This focus on sustainability and growth aligns with BPI's broader mission of closing the racial wealth gap. Kim Covington, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at ACF, emphasizes a critical challenge.
"Over the last two centuries, we have not been able to move the needle in many areas – in housing, in entrepreneurship," Covington said. "People say it's going to take over 300 years to close that gap. We believe that the best way to address this is to improve grantmaking and support entrepreneurship."
She also emphasizes the need to go beyond support for programming, diving deeper into operational challenges like staffing.
This focus on building capacity proved especially vital during the racial reckoning following George Floyd's murder. BPI partnered with USAA, AT&T, the Andrew Family Foundation, and the Pakis Center for Business Philanthropy to create the Social Justice Fund, supporting 20 Black-owned businesses annually for four years. The program connected participants with established entrepreneurs and industry experts, generating an estimated $4-5 million in contracts, loans, and grants.
Increasing capacity takes more than money, it also requires connections.
"Sixty percent of the nonprofits who receive grants from our giving circles had never been connected to ACF before," Covington said.
This network building can have a ripple effect on partner organizations of nonprofits receiving funding, and when BPI supports an organization's work, other funders often follow. Recent collaborations with The Burton Family Foundation exemplify this multiplier effect. In their latest grant cycle, BPI's $101,000 in grants to ten nonprofits attracted an additional $35,000 in matching funds from The Burton Family Foundation.
Success stories abound, including SOUNDS Academy, which began with modest BPI funding and has grown into a comprehensive music education program working toward acquiring its own building. Such growth trajectories demonstrate how initial BPI support can catalyze organizational development.
BPI’s success stems from its methodical approach to grant evaluation and ongoing support, as the initiative requires grantees to provide comprehensive follow-up reports after receiving funding.
"Those follow-ups include pictures and impact metrics," Dr. Allen said. "I always like to see impact. What has it really done? How many people have you impacted? What are their success stories? And perhaps most importantly, how can we replicate it?"
This assessment process helps BPI identify opportunities to scale successful programs in order to make a bigger impact. Looking ahead, the initiative is addressing systemic challenges through data.
The upcoming Black Business Database project, launching in 2025 in partnership with State of Black Arizona, will provide the first comprehensive data collection on Black-owned businesses statewide – crucial information for informed investment and policy decisions.
BPI has also put a premium on boots-on-the-ground community education and engagement. Prior to the pandemic, BPI conducted grant-writing workshops, helping organizations develop the skills needed to secure additional funding.
"Our goal is to help individuals learn how to write grants and support them in things they're interested in," Dr. Allen said. "We want to be able to say, 'Here, this is how you can put it down on paper,' and then, full circle, how we can support you financially once we understand what you're looking for."
Through its strategic approach to capacity building, and the focus on scaling impact, BPI continues to demonstrate how targeted community investment can create change – with and beyond a check.
For those interested in supporting or learning more about BPI's work, the initiative hosts regular events, including their "Let's Make History Together" gala, which serves as a celebration of all that BPI has done up to this point, and what it plans on doing in the future with history lessons, community presentations, musical performances, and networking opportunities.
BPI also celebrates Black Philanthropy Month with a special event every August.
These events showcase grant recipients' impact stories and provide opportunities for community members to contribute to the next cycle of strategic philanthropy.
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For more information about the Black Philanthropy Initiative and its impact, visit www.azfoundation.org/bpi