Reclaiming Our Way promoting the well-being of African American children & families

More on the Increasing Philanthropic Support for Black Men and Boys

I came across an interesting discussion about the increasing investment by philanthropy in supports for African American men and boys.  It's about an hour-long, and includes a number of major foundation program officers.  It sheds at least a little light on how they are thinking about the work of supporting African American men and boys.

[Video Description]  A panel of thought leaders and Bay Area foundation representatives review funding trends through the lens of two recent research studies on philanthropic investments in support of black males. The panelists shared current strategies and lessons learned from portfolios dedicated to serving black men and boys. In addition, this moderated panel included a discussion of the recently launched Leadership and Sustainability Institute for Black Male Achievement, an innovative initiative designed to build the capacity of practitioners and funders working in this field.

Along with the video below, you should also check out a related report I recall from 2012, Philanthropic Support for Black Men and Boys, produced by The Open Society Foundations and the Foundation Center.  Among the key findings from the 40-page report:

• Foundation funding explicitly designated to benefit black men and boys held steady in recent years, rising modestly from $22 million in 2008 to nearly $29 million in 2010.
• Education was the top priority of grants explicitly in support of black males, receiving 40 percent of grant dollars.
• Most foundation dollars explicitly targeting black men and boys provided program support (87 percent).
• Recipient organizations in the South received the largest share (32 percent) of foundation dollars explicitly intended to benefit black males. the Northeast received 30 percent of funding.