The Rooted Collaborative
Community advancing women of color in fundraising, philanthropy, and the social sector.
Nonprofit Resource Guide
Resources for Black-Led Nonprofits
31 trusted membership groups, funding networks, philanthropic organizations, and learning resources—organized for leaders building durable institutions.
Black nonprofit leaders are often asked to solve complex community problems while navigating persistent gaps in funding, visibility, executive support, and operating infrastructure. The right network can change that equation. This guide brings together organizations that can help leaders find peers, capital, research, training, and practical support.
This is not a pay-to-play directory. L&R Press does not rank these organizations or guarantee funding outcomes. Confirm current eligibility and programs directly, and choose the relationships that fit your mission and stage of growth.
Why this guide existsCommunity is infrastructure.
When I think about the power of community, I am reminded that none of us can do this work alone. As Black fundraisers and leaders of Black-led nonprofits, the journey is filled with unique challenges—but also extraordinary opportunities.
In the current political and funding environment, nonprofits face greater scrutiny, more sophisticated grant requirements, increasing documentation expectations, and growing demand for measurable outcomes. For Black-led organizations, that pressure can feel even heavier. Many are doing essential work with limited staff, limited infrastructure, and limited access to the professional networks available to larger institutions.
That is why the right support system matters. Every successful nonprofit stands on the shoulders of people willing to share knowledge, open doors, and help others avoid mistakes they have already made.
At L&R Press, we believe Black-led nonprofits deserve access to strong funding networks, professional communities, technology, strategic support, and operating systems capable of helping them sustain and scale their impact. This guide was created in that spirit: not as another article about grants alone, but as a practical library leaders can return to whenever they need funding networks, professional associations, leadership communities, philanthropic organizations, and educational resources.
01
Membership Groups
Build relationships that make leadership less isolating and opportunity more visible.
African American Development Officers (AADO)
Education, mentorship, and community for fundraisers of color.
Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC)
A global network advancing women of color across fundraising and philanthropy.
National Association of Black Accountants (NABA)
Professional and leadership opportunities for Black accounting and finance professionals.
Philanthropy Together
A movement strengthening and diversifying giving circles.
Men of Color in Development (MOCID)
Connection and professional support for men of color in development.
Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP)
A network developing inclusive leaders across philanthropy.
Blacks In Nonprofits
Peer exchange for Black nonprofit professionals.
Executive Directors of Color Support Group
Peer support for executive directors of color.
Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE)
Advocacy for responsive, transformative philanthropy in Black communities.
The Black Funding Network
Collective giving for Black-led and Black-benefiting organizations.
02
Support Networks & Funding Agencies
Find funders, giving communities, technical support, and platforms closing persistent capital gaps.
Community-Centric Fundraising
Fundraising practices grounded in equity, social justice, and community.
Support Black Charities
A platform connecting donors with Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits.
Giving Gap
A discovery and research platform focused on Black-founded nonprofits.
Decolonizing Wealth Project
A movement transforming philanthropy and returning resources to communities.
Fundraising in Black
Learning and community centered on Black fundraisers.
Donors of Color Network
A cross-racial network mobilizing donors of color toward systems change.
Black Freedom Collective
A donor community supporting Black-led grassroots organizing.
Grantmakers for Girls of Color
Resources for girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of color.
The Black Benefactors
A Black-led giving circle serving Black communities in the D.C. region.
Color Of Change
Campaigns and research relevant to Black-led organizations.
Nonprofit Finance Fund
Financing, consulting, and tools for nonprofit financial health.
03
Research, Directories & Learning
Use evidence, peer experience, and practical tools to make sharper institutional decisions.
Black-Founded Nonprofits
Charity Navigator’s collection of Black-founded nonprofits.
The State of Black Nonprofits Report
Research on the reach, resilience, and funding realities of Black-founded nonprofits.
Outstanding Black Voices in the Nonprofit Sector
Black leaders and thinkers shaping the nonprofit sector.
Collecting Courage
Stories and community centering Black fundraisers’ experiences.
Sisters in the Building Trades
Support for women in union construction careers.
NPQ Voices from the Field
Practitioner perspectives from the nonprofit and movement ecosystem.
Blackbaud Institute
Research, benchmarks, and data-informed social-impact insights.
Collective Impact Forum
Tools for coordinating cross-sector, systems-level change.
The Black Nonprofit Leaders Group
Peer connection and learning for Black nonprofit executives.
The organizations that adapt over the next five years will shape the next generation of Black leadership.
There has never been a more important time to build a strong Black-led nonprofit. At the same time, there has never been a more difficult time to lead one.
Grant requirements are becoming more sophisticated. Funders are asking for measurable outcomes instead of good intentions. Artificial intelligence is changing how organizations research grants, communicate with donors, measure impact, and manage operations. Government agencies are demanding greater accountability, while the communities Black-led nonprofits serve continue to need more support, not less.
That combination is creating a defining moment. The organizations that embrace better systems, stronger partnerships, and smarter technology will not simply survive. They will become the institutions shaping the next generation of Black leadership.
Networks such as ABFE, Giving Gap, and Community-Centric Fundraising matter because they connect leaders to more than information. They provide language, relationships, evidence, and peer experience that can strengthen how an organization approaches funders and its community. Those references belong in the strategy—not in a second directory.
At L&R Press, we have worked alongside organizations pursuing affordable housing, workforce development, reentry initiatives, community health, education, youth sports, faith-based programs, and economic development. One lesson continues to surface: no organization succeeds alone.
Every successful nonprofit stands on the shoulders of people willing to share knowledge, open doors, introduce partners, recommend funding opportunities, and help others avoid mistakes they have already made. That spirit of collaboration has always been one of the greatest strengths of the Black nonprofit community.
The Bigger Picture
Networks create access. Infrastructure creates staying power.
“Funding matters. Relationships matter more. And the stronger your network becomes, the stronger your organization becomes.”
Is your organization ready to manage the opportunity it is pursuing?
More applications are not always the answer. Sustainable growth requires an institution that can absorb funding, document results, protect compliance, and execute consistently.
01
Governance
Clear board roles, decision rights, policies, and accountability.
02
Financial readiness
Budgets, controls, reporting, and grant-management discipline.
03
Operating systems
Repeatable workflows, measurable outcomes, and leadership capacity.
L&R Press Nonprofit Incubator
Build the institution behind the mission.
The Nonprofit Incubator helps leaders strengthen strategy, governance, operational systems, compliance readiness, and execution capacity—so the organization is built for durable impact.
Explore the Nonprofit Incubator →Review the program, support model, and next steps. Participation does not guarantee grant funding.