The Social Change Fund United (SCFU) recently announced that they will grant $230,000 to two Chicago-based organizations, Gray Matter Experience and the Los Angeles non-profit All Star Code. This funding will create the SCFU “We Got Next” program, aiming to equip youth with tools to start their own businesses. The initiative aims to help 1,000 members in Black and brown communities, according to an exclusive announcement from EBONY.
Brittany Robbins, the founder of Gray Matter Experience, started the non-profit for high school students after noticing a lack of resources and Black mentors for young entrepreneurs. Robbins previously said, “It was concerning that although we were encouraging minority students to pursue entrepreneurship, even as an adult, the co-working and incubator spaces I visited had very few, if any, people that looked like me. I decided Gray Matter would be the solution to changing the narrative and providing a solution to the knowledge, resource, and access gap for founders of color, starting with the youth.”
SCFU has also partnered with Stackwell Capital to launch the SCFU Legacy initiative, which will offer small business grants to six minority-owned businesses in Los Angeles. The organization is supported by notable leaders in various fields, including WNBA players Natasha Cloud and Candace Parker, who serve on its Executive Council, and Creative Arts Agency executives Callie Curry and Hillary Thomas, who are on its advisory board.
“We’re excited to launch a new dimension of SCFU and to clarify our purpose of empowering underrepresented communities,” said SCFU Executive Director Aida Morrow in a statement to EBONY. “Through this redirection, we hope to light the way for a more inclusive future, bring on new partners, and authentically uplift the communities we serve.”
Anthony, Paul, and Wade founded the organization in 2020 to advance equity, social, and criminal justice reform in Black and brown communities.
