Black August is Black Philanthropy Month

Black August began in the 1970s with Black freedom fighters who were incarcerated in California prisons. They wanted to bring awareness to prison conditions and honor the lives and deaths of Black political prisoners killed by the state in the fight for Black liberation.

Black Philanthropy Month, founded by Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland with the support of Reunity in 2011, is a global celebration and concerted campaign held in August to elevate African-descent giving and funding equity.

Black August teaches us the importance of continued Black resistance and that liberation is a long, collective struggle. And Black Philanthropy Month reminds us that Black communities have always practiced philanthropy through care, mutual aid, and movement-building long before institutions ever took notice.

This August, we uplift the Black-led, Black-rooted movements that fight every day toward liberation for us all, like:

• Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) working to tackle mass incarceration in Milwaukee while building leadership and community wellness through courtwatch, Know Your Rights trainings, and other initiatives.
• Black Voters Matter Fund engaging 2.1 million inactive voters in 2025 with millions of texts, calls, and door knocks—and plans to scale voter mobilization in key state and local races nationwide.
• Dream Defenders mobilizing new generations of freedom fighters through their “Freedom Needs Fighters” to build resilient community power and counter right-wing influence.
• The M4BL Action Fund equipping local leaders and organizations with the skills and knowledge required to build tangible political power to win in the short term, while developing a lasting Black-led electoral infrastructure for the long term.
• Texas Organizing Project building community power alongside working-class Black and Latino Texans through leadership development, as well as issue-based and electoral organizing.

Imagine the impact if philanthropy truly prioritized Black women-led organizations and provided the necessary resources to expand their work, organizing communities, building collective power, and strengthening the bonds that sustain long-term change.

The gains from this investment would multiply, fueling more transformative victories and advancing a just, inclusive democracy rooted in equity and liberation.

We invite you to join us in committing to bold, equitable giving and meaningful support this Black August and Black Philanthropy Month.