New England Conference to Focus on Black Philanthropy
As part of a national movement to encourage and increase philanthropy in the African-American community, the first New England Conference on Black Philanthropy will meet in Boston, June 4-6.
The conference, which follows on the heels of similar gatherings in Philadelphia in 1997 and Oakland in 1999, is intended to bring together African-American donors, grantmakers, and nonprofit leaders while at the same time highlighting the benefits of investing in community-based institutions and programs that focus on the needs of the black community.
"The challenge for social service agencies and community foundations is to develop fund raising strategies to identify and cultivate this new wealth among blacks," noted Ron Ancrum, a senior consultant with Third Sector New England, a co-convener of the conference.
Boston, which has one of the fastest-growing urban black populations in the country, is also the home of historically black philanthropic groups such as the African Society for Mutual Aid and Charity and the United Daughters of Zion.
"Here in Boston, African-American philanthropy has been addressing the needs of black families for more than 200 years. They've done this through mutual support organizations created and run by African-Americans, through hundreds of churches with missions broader than many social service agencies, and through the thousands of families that have raised other people's children as their own — and who have always had a little something to give to the people next door," noted Boston Foundation president and CEO Anna Faith Jones.
FCnote: The Boston Foundation, Inc. (MA) had assets of $622,378,843 and made grants totaling $34,664,458 in the year ending 06/30/99.
"Black Philanthropy Conference Taps into the Collective Wealth of the Black Middle Class in New England." Business Wire 05/22/2000.
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