10 Black Charities To Donate Money to as a Family

In May 2020, George Floyd was killed by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's knee to his neck. His murder was just one example of the brutality and trauma inflicted on Black Americans by police or vigilante action that have occurred across the country for decades. Though long a part of our country's history, tragedies of the past few years, including the killings of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, have highlighted this injustice. In response to perpetual police brutality, protesters from coast to coast came together in the summer of 2020, filling their communities with cries for overdue racial justice.

Protests have died down, but the work toward criminal justice reform continues. Here are several organizations you can donate to in order to stand up for justice with Black communities.

1. Bail Funds

You can support demonstrators on the ground by locating and giving to your local bail fund. The Minnesota Freedom Fund, founded in 2016, has raised about $20 million, Octavia Smith, the fund's emeritus board president, told The New York Times.

You can check the National Bail Fund Network directory for state-specific info. If you want to give to a national fund, check out the Bail Project National Revolving Bail Fund, which is on a mission to combat mass incarceration and reshape the pretrial system in the United States.

2. Unicorn Riot

A nonprofit media collective, Unicorn Riot is committed to exposing the root causes of social, economic, and environmental issues. In their mission statement, they note, "Our work is dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues through amplifying stories and exploring sustainable alternatives in today's globalized world.

3. Reclaim the Block

Reclaim the Block is a coalition that advocates for and invests in community-led safety initiatives in Minneapolis neighborhoods. Their mission statement: "We believe health, safety, and resiliency exist without police of any kind. We organize around policies that strengthen community-led safety initiatives and reduce reliance on police departments."

4. The Loveland Foundation

Founded in 2018 by academic, writer, and lecturer Rachel Cargle following a successful birthday wish fundraiser called Therapy for Black Women and Girls, the Loveland Foundation is dedicated to bring opportunity and healing to communities of color, especially Black women and girls. Your donation will offer financial assistance to Black women and girls nationally seeking therapy.

5. Campaign Zero

An organization that utilizes research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in the U.S., Campaign Zero's mission is to call "on local, state, and federal lawmakers to take immediate action to adopt data-driven policy solutions to end this violence and hold police accountable."

6. Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation's largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). All donations allow TMCF to continue expanding and innovating our programs and could make a significant difference in transforming a student's life.

7. Black Girls Code

BlackGirlsCode is a grassroots organization dedicated to exposing girls to opportunities in STEM. They're based in the Bay Area but are currently working to expand. In addition to donations, they most urgently need equipment, computer science experts, and mentors/workshop assistants.

8. Black Visions Collective

A Black, trans, and queer-led Minnesota-based organization, Black Visions Collective (BVC) is committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence and shifting the public narrative to create transformative, long-term change.

9. North Star Health Collective

Supplying aid and health care services to protestors in Minnesota, the North Star Health Collective includes health providers—physicians, nurses, healers, herbalists, doulas—and many of the providers are also long-term community organizers with diverse experience across a range of social sectors, such as affordable housing, environmental justice, women's health, and human rights.

10. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who then became the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) works to protect voting rights, reform our criminal justice system, achieve education equity, and ensure economic justice for all.