Supporting and uplifting BIPOC-led nonprofits

The funding gap for BIPOC communities

• 64% of BIPOC-led organizations have experienced a significant increase in demand over the last two years, compared to only 47% of White-led organizations.
• 71% of White-led organizations received corporate donations compared to only 58% of BIPOC-led nonprofits.
• 86% of White-led organizations received foundation money compared to 75% of Black-led organizations and 82% of BIPOC-led organizations.

The stark realities of racial disparities in philanthropy and chronic underfunding of BIPOC-led nonprofits demonstrate the urgent need for greater investment and support.

Echoing Green and The Bridgespan Group named four barriers that BIPOC organizations and leaders experience “across the full arc of fundraising efforts” in their 2020 report Racial Equity and Philanthropy: Disparities in Funding for Leaders of Color Leave Impact on the Table:

• Getting connected to potential funders: Leaders of color have inequitable access to social networks that enable connections to the philanthropic community.
• Building rapport with potential funders: Interpersonal bias can manifest as mistrust and microaggressions, which inhibit relationship building and emotionally burden leaders of color.
• Securing support for the organization: Funders often lack understanding of culturally relevant approaches, leading them to over rely on specific forms of evaluation and strategies with which they are familiar.
• Sustaining relationships with current funders: Grant renewal processes can be arduous if mistrust remains, and funding may stop if the funder has a White-centric view of what is a strategic priority and how to measure progress. 

Equitable access to support, tools, and funding with Catchafire

Catchafire serves as a bridge to help you scale your grantmaking investment and go beyond it. In the United States, only 25% of all nonprofit executive directors are BIPOC. At Catchafire, 61% of nonprofits on our platform have BIPOC leadership and 32% are exclusively Black-led.

Catchafire provides a suite of resources aimed at supporting capacity building, professional development, and peer-to-peer learning for BIPOC-led nonprofits. This includes:

Leadership development and networking platform: Last year, we launched a BIPOC leadership group to provide a regular forum to support BIPOC leaders. As a result, 87.5% of BIPOC leadership group attendees report an increased confidence in nonprofit leadership skills.

Unrestricted access to pro bono consultants: Volunteers on Catchafire help alleviate the burden on nonprofit staff, taking away the stress of needing to do everything at once. Volunteers provide support through consultation calls and full-length projects in areas like strategic planning, marketing, and finance. 

Organizational resiliency: Our team of experts have designed project templates for every need, including areas like business plan reviews, organizational goal setting, and program assessment. These strengthen nonprofits’ long-term programming, finances, and organizational strategy, supporting their overall sustainability.

Tangible takeaways and instant impact: Through access to volunteers, coaching from our nonprofit advisors, and the leadership group, BIPOC staff are equipped with instant takeaways they can immediately apply to their organizations. 

Catchafire in action: when distributing resources is simple, easy, and equitable

Fund a BIPOC future

As philanthropy grapples with its disparity in distribution, many are looking for ways to bridge the inequity and be a part of a permanent solution. That’s where Catchafire comes in. We’ve partnered with over 130 grantmakers and companies to build stronger communities. Request a demo to learn if we’re a good fit for your organization.