Salesforce Announces Unrestricted Grants to 10 Black-Led Nonprofits Empowering Youth

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Salesforce Catalyst Fund invests in underrepresented leaders and traditionally underfunded nonprofits

Nonprofits will leverage funds to advance racial equity through education and economic opportunity

Today, in honor of Black History Month, we are announcing 10 new grantees of the Salesforce Catalyst Fund, which provides critical, unrestricted capital to nonprofits led by underrepresented leaders. The latest grantees include nonprofits led by Black leaders who are forging pathways to education and career success for young people of color in the United States.

It’s a stark reality: Black and Latinx nonprofit leaders today receive only about 4% of philanthropic funding in the U.S., though they make up approximately 10% of nonprofit leadership nationwide. And, we know that the gap is even greater when it comes to unrestricted funding.

To improve the futures of our Black youth and close the wealth gap, we need to invest in Black leaders who are trailblazing solutions in their own communities with flexible capital that enables these leaders to take risks and pilot new ideas.

Now in its second round of funding, the Catalyst Fund was launched with the specific intention to address systemic underinvestments in communities of color. This latest round will dedicate $1 million to Black-led organizations that are driving equitable education and economic opportunity in the communities they serve, including the Center for Black Educator Development.

“Our students have consistently said, we need Black teachers. And we need to invest in Black leaders who are paving the way so that all Black students can have a high-quality education and a prosperous future,” said Sharif El-Mekki, the center’s Founder and CEO.

With these grants, the Catalyst Fund will have given a total of $4 million to nonprofits led by underrepresented leaders.

Ten Black nonprofit changemakers will utilize Catalyst Fund capital to drive racial equity

We are honored to partner with these 10 incredible leaders who are driving change in their communities — from recruiting Black educators to empowering Black youth to pursue careers in tech.

Click through the slideshow to see the recipients of the unrestricted Catalyst Fund grants:

Adrian Le’Roy Devezin, Executive Director, Empowr (Atlanta, U.S. National): Teaching high-paying skills to high school students of color and working with partners to ensure a career upon graduation.
Tamar Huggins Grant, Executive Director, Tech Spark Canada: Redesigning the personalized learning experience for middle school students with a platform using data, AI, hip-hop culture, and equity.
Kristina Newton, Founder and CEO, HYPE (Hope for Youth, Inc.) (Atlanta): Empowering girls of color with technology skills that prepare them to thrive as future leaders in 21st century careers.
Bryan Johnson, CEO, Black Boys Code (Atlanta, Chicago): Improving the future of Black youth through education in computer science and technology, preparing them for success as tomorrow’s technology leaders and innovators.
Dr. Marlon Haywood, Executive Director, Urban Male Network (Chicago): Eliminating barriers to success for young minority men by providing positive male role models who have achieved personal, professional, and academic success.
Malik Brown, President and CEO, Graduate! Philadelphia (Philadelphia): Advancing the social capital and economic mobility of racially diverse, lower-income adults through degree completion, workforce credentialing, and living-wage employment.
Sharif El-Mekki, Founder and CEO, Center for Black Educator Development (Philadelphia, Detroit, New Jersey, U.S. National): Recruiting talented Black students to advance social and racial justice by pursuing a career in education.
Terrence Riley, Executive Director, Hack the Hood (Oakland, San Francisco): Providing youth of color with tech skill-building programs that lead them to feel confident and motivated to pursue a career in tech.
Tiffany Herndon, Founder, Nzinga – Black is Lit (Greater Bay Area, Los Angeles): Supporting the disruption of the school-to-prison pipeline by embracing education as a tool for social justice, through addressing literacy proficiency among Black students.
Peter Watts, Jr., CEO and Co-Founder, Watts of Power Foundation (Los Angeles): Strengthening families in foster care and those living in high poverty by focusing on education and community revitalization through wrap-around support for Black educators.