In the wake of the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, the most recent victims of recurring police violence against black people, black-led organizations are springing into action, hoping to translate surging public support into meaningful progress. In a June 2020 poll, 76% of Americans said racial and ethnic discrimination is a big problem in the United States, up from 51% in 2015. From big grantmaking commitments by institutional funders to a wave of small individual donations, a major philanthropic response is underway.

But while new attention and money may be flowing at the moment, black nonprofit leaders face a persistent struggle in securing both trust and reliable financial backing from the mostly white funding world. Several recent reports show that black-led organizations (BLOs) have smaller revenues, reserves and staff. They receive far fewer large or unrestricted grants.