There is historical and ongoing oversight in philanthropic funding for African/Caribbean communities

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“It’s unfortunate, but not a lot of people want to see us grow.”

Anick Silencieux (Executive Director of Support Black Charities)

With August being Black Philanthropy Month, it is imperative to shed light on the critical issues of underfunding and inequity in philanthropic support for African/Caribbean communities. Interestingly enough this article is coming out on “Black Giving Day,” which happens to be the day that Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream,” delivered August 28th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. It also happens to be the day that while visiting family in Money, Mississippi, 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African/ American from Chicago, was brutally murdered for allegedly flirting with a White woman.

According to a 2020 report from the Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC), for every $100 donated by the top 15 Canadian foundations, a mere 0.07 cents went to African/Caribbean-led organizations—not even a full cent. Hmmmm!

Black Philanthropy Month is vital to address the significant disparities in funding and support that Black-led organizations face. The underfunding of African/Caribbean-led organizations highlights systemic issues within the philanthropic sector. Despite the significant contributions of Black philanthropists and organizations to social justice, education, healthcare, and economic empowerment, these organizations receive disproportionately low funding. This lack of financial support hampers their ability to make sustained impacts in their communities.

Statistics from the FFBC reveal that only 2.3% of philanthropic funding in Canada goes to racialized communities, with an even smaller fraction reaching Black communities. It is the reason that African Caribbean-led organizations face challenges in effectively showcasing the full scope and impact of their programs. This can severely limit their appeal to potential donors. To address this, Supporting Black Charities is committed to providing essential resources and specialized nonprofit services to help these organizations become donor, and investment ready.

However, these efforts represent only one side of the story—ensuring that these organizations are equipped with the tools to communicate their value is just as important as advocating for systemic change in the philanthropic landscape. By improving both internal capabilities and external perceptions, SBC aims to create a more supportive environment for African/Caribbean-led organizations to thrive and achieve lasting change.

“Donate Once, Impact Many!”

In response to the challenges faced by Black-led organizations in securing equitable funding, SBC launched the Global Black Philanthropy Initiative (GBPI). GBPI is essentially a “Cause Fund,” where supporters choose to donate to a cause identified by the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rather than a single organization. Funds received, after administrative costs are deducted, are evenly distributed to all organizations listed under the respective SDGs on the SBC website.

I had an opportunity to sit down and speak with Anick Silencieux, Founder and Executive Director of Support Black Charities (SBC, and she shared with me what inspired her to found Support Black Charities (SBC), and how its mission has evolved over time.

“I am the product of a non-profit environment. I believe strongly in work that is not for profit. I grew up in the community in Montreal, and my family was very involved,” Anick tells me. “I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but my family played a big role in the community. I also had an aunt in New York, and the same thing happened; I ended up working in the community. Now, I truly understand the power of working with like-minded people.”

This stuck with her throughout her career, and she continued to do work with community organizations. “I have always been inspired to support the Black business movement. It is about contributing to the life of the Black dollar in our community.”

“The first experience of Support Black Charities was a directory, which we tailored and began to vet the charities that became a part of the directory. It just continued to grow after that. I began to grow. During this time, I was working full time as an engineer, and when my position dissolved, I went into building Support Black Charities full force.”

“At first it was about enhancing visibility, now our focus is providing services that allow charities to remain sustainable. The MUSH group (Museums, Universities, Schools, and Hospitals) get all the money, and we are missing out on all the funding, because we don’t have these establishments. This is why I am so actively involved in the missions that are in the directory.”

“What are the key milestones or goals that SBC hopes to achieve in the next five years, Anick,” I asked?

“The philanthropic model is the rich give to the poor. I want to change this. I am talking about the triangle of success. How do we get our community to support ourselves? It is about re-imagining philanthropy in our community. We have to get more people interested in how they can help the community.”

“We want more organizations to live out longer. How do we continue to have the same generational impact? It is about creating pillars to support these organizations.

How do we go from transactional to transformational? It is about being involved in someone’s success.”