The recent incidents of racism and police brutality, including the inhumane murders of Dion Johnson, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, have once again reminded us of the systemic racism that continues to plague America and Arizona. Please see below for suggested resources and information.

Give to the following funds providing direct support and services to the black community

1. Black Philanthropy Initiative’s Social Justice Fund
2. African American Women’s Giving and Empowerment Circle  
3. Real Engagement Through Active Philanthropy (REAP) 
4. Bishop Henry L Barnwell MLK Scholarship Fund 
5. Archer-Ragsdale Chapter of the Arizona Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Fund  
6. George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center Restoration Fund
7. African American Legacy Fund 
8. Second Chance Community Bail Initiative 
9. People’s Defense Initiative 
10. Dunbar Pavilion 
11. Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund

Community Organizers 

• Arizona Coalition for Change -  Empowers everyday people to transform their community through building civic power, just and equitable schools and safer neighborhoods. They are committed to advocating for lasting progressive public policies that change the dynamics for our communities.

• Black Lives Matter Metro Phoenix - Focuses on policy change, health and education. Demanding traffic cam footage, name of Arizona Trooper and police report of the fatal shooting of Dion Johnson. The 28 year old was killed Memorial Day after caught sleeping in a car on Loop 101 and Tatum in Phoenix. BLM and other grassroots organizations established the Black People’s Justice Fund which pays bail for people in need.  

• Phoenix Local Organizing Committee - Brings African American community together as a collective with a focus on impacting justice, health, food security, arts and culture

•  Mass Liberation Project-Arizona - Launched in 2019 to bolster the growing movement to end mass incarceration and abolish the criminal legal system as we know it. 

• Black Phoenix Organizing Collective (BPOC) and the Drinking Gourd Farms - BPOC builds black political power in Phoenix, AZ by organizing young, radical, queer, poor, families, formerly incarcerated, and non-binary black folks, directly impacted by unjust systems. BPOC’s program Drinking Gourd Farms builds a network of Black gardeners and Farmers focuses on the physical, mental and spiritual health of Black people.

• Black Mother’s Forum - Group of dedicated mothers of Black children coming together to dismantle the school to prison pipeline and stop the blood-shed in the Black community.

• Black Lives Matter Tucson 

Think Tanks

• African American Christian Clergy Coalition - Promotes unity and justice in Arizona.

• The Women’s Economic Institute - Working to advance income security, opportunity and economic sustainability for women and girls in Arizona. Launched the Black COVID Task Force in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The community based initiative ensures Black Arizonan’s have the most accurate readily available information.

Direct Services and Historic Black Organizations

• Arizona Center for African American Resources - AZCAAR was founded in 2007 on the premise to improve the life challenges facing African Americans in Arizona, to act as a resource for those serving the African American community built on the focus areas of: Communications, Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Health and Well-being, Leadership, Political Engagement, and Racial Equity. 

• Black Family and Child Services - A community based social service agency 

• Arizona Opportunities and Industrial Center - Network of comprehensive employment training programs across the nation. The first OIC was founded in Philadelphia in 1964. From its beginnings in an abandoned jailhouse, OIC has grown into an organization which serves disadvantaged and under-skilled Americans of all races.   

• Arizona Black Bar Association 

• NAACP

o   Maricopa County NAACP   

o   East Valley NAACP  

o   West Valley NAACP 

o   Tucson NAACP

• Urban League of Greater Phoenix and Tucson

o   Greater Phoenix Urban League

o   Greater Phoenix Urban League Young Professionals

o   Tucson Urban League

Nonprofits supporting black small businesses and nonprofit startups

• Hustle PHX – Assisting entrepreneurs with the key resources needed to sustain their own businesses.
• UPI Loan Fund – Provides personal loans helping individuals and families take advantage of opportunities and serves as a financial buffer during times of need.

Thank you to the Arizona Community Foundation for compiling the above list.