The creation of the Asheville Black Women’s Fund was inspired by racial justice movements and leaders working to redistribute wealth, capital, and power back to Black communities. A local White couple experienced first-hand the educational, housing, social, economic, generational, and tax advantages afforded to them. These advantages are experiences simply for existing as a White, wealthy couple in America. This acknowledgement and inspiration led them to strategize about redistributing their own wealth in their local community. In doing this, they had the opportunity to honor the stories shared by Black women in Asheville and continue learning about the realities of being Black and female in the community.

When starting a philanthropic initiative, they knew they could easily fall into traditional models of philanthropy rooted in white supremacy culture. They wanted to lean into trust-based philanthropic practices and their own Christian practices rooted in liberation theology. They started by listening to the voices and priorities of impacted communities. With Black women friends and respected community leaders, they began co-creating a vision for the Fund. Keeping the wisdom and heart of Black women at the center, their first step was hiring two Black women as the team to support the ideation and creation.

Focus Groups Shaped the Structure of the Gift
In November 2022, 20 Black women who lived and/or worked in Asheville, North Carolina participated in two virtual focus groups to provide feedback on this initiative as envisioned by the White donor and Black women consultants. Each participant was compensated for their time and experiential feedback.

What We Learned

1. Being acknowledged/recognized by the peers in your community is transformative and emotionally healing. While the focus groups were gathered to give feedback on the concrete aspects of a grantmaking program (i.e. grant size, focus, and structure), the participants of both focus groups also shared about the deep impact of having their gifts as well as their challenges as Black women acknowledged. “For my whole 20 years [in Asheville], I wish someone cared about me as much as I care about others, in a tangible way.

1. Black women who live/and work in Asheville should hold decision-making power regarding who receives funds.

1. This program should have a low barrier to access since Black women have been systematically excluded from wealth creation throughout history. Participants named that the sole requirements for the funds should be that the recipient identifies as a Black woman who lives and/or works in Asheville. If additional criteria were needed, participants suggested that the funds not be based on capacity to serve, a grantee’s future impact or sweat equity. The selection process should not consider income levels since income is not an accurate indicator of Black women’s financial stresses and needs. Black women often support extended family and community with their funds.

1. Participants need between 75K – 250K to build a liberatory life for themselves (however they define that). Most participants preferred multi-year disbursement of funds.

1. Support beyond the check is critical to the success of this program. As one person named, they needed “someone who would be able to not just say I am here but is here and walking alongside us as Black women. We carry so much and being here in Asheville is hard.”

1. The grants should be considered gifts, with the flexibility to be used however the recipient determines is best. The term “grants” implied that the recipients would need to meet specific outcomes if they received the funds. However, Black women deserve a wide range of supports to build generational wealth and to live a fully liberated life.  Participants listed activities as varied as sabbaticals, the pursuit of a doctorate degree, and homeownership as the next step in their journey from surviving.

Direct Giving as Philanthropic Strategy

Through research, these focus groups, and the support of community leaders, the Fund was created.

In researching how to structure this initiative, both the 501(c)3 public charity and 501(c)3 private foundation models were considered. We found these models held advantages for the donor, but also potential disadvantages for the gift recipient. Some disadvantages for the recipients included:

• Could trigger potential tax consequence
• Could create a competitive process pitting Black women against each other
• Could force the recipient to share publicly that they received the gift.

The Fund chose a method with equal benefits for both the donor and the recipient-gifting funds using the annual IRS gift tax exclusion. This process makes the funds tax-exempt for gift recipients.