Dear Colleagues,
Black History Month calls us not only to remember, but to imagine—and to design what comes next.
As an Afro-futurist, I believe the future is built at the intersection of memory, truth, and possibility. Afrofuturism is not fantasy; it is a practice of reclaiming the past, interrogating the present, and insisting that Black communities—especially Black women—are trusted architects of the future.
My own life and career have been shaped by standing in the gap between worlds: between community and institutions, between what systems say is possible and what lived experience proves to be true. I grew up understanding generosity not as philanthropy, but as community care. Later, working across humanitarian aid, migration, and philanthropy, I learned the same lesson again and again: scarcity is a story we are told. Abundance is something we build—together.
In 2022, I wrote about a stark reality that continues to shape our sector: only 0.5% of philanthropic funding goes to women and girls of color, despite the fact that we are among the most consistent drivers of social change. That inequity—and the question of who is trusted with resources—became part of the inspiration for DataWoven, Women’s Funding Network’s data and narrative platform designed to surface patterns philanthropy too often overlooks.
What the data shows is both sobering and clarifying. Through DataWoven, we see that just 8.8% of U.S. nonprofit organizations are led by Black women, primarily concentrated in Maryland, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. These leaders are most often advancing community improvement, civil rights, advocacy, and human services, stewarding 9% of total nonprofit assets—despite persistent underinvestment.
At WFN, we see what becomes possible when trust replaces gatekeeping. For the first time, more than 50% of our member leaders are women of color. At Feminist Funded, over 30% of attendees were Black women, and 70% were women of color, many serving at the executive level.
Trust is not symbolic. It is real and alive. This Black History Month, may we choose futures where Black women are not asked to lead without support—but are trusted to lead us all forward.
Ada Williams Prince
Chair, Board of Directors
Women’s Funding Network