Black Wildflowers Fund Selected to Join the Common Future Accelerator 2024 Cohort

We are thrilled to announce that Black Wildflowers Fund has been selected to participate in the Common Future Accelerator 2024 Cohort! This incredible opportunity will provide us with a $50,000 grant award and valuable professional development tools to help us learn and grow as an organization. 

The resources, mentorship, executive coaching, and community support will amplify our organizational impact as we continue our work to remove systemic barriers for Black educators who want to pursue leadership pathways and design innovative schools—without compromising their freedom, power, or identity. 

Thank you Common Future for seeing our vision and believing in us. Being one of ten organizations chosen from more than 500 applications is an honor. This will undoubtedly deepen our expertise on sustainable growth and scale as BWF moves from being a fiscally sponsored organization into a wholly independent 501 (c)(3) organization in the year ahead. 

Stay tuned for updates on our journey!

About the Common Future Accelerator

This three-month program invests in a cohort of 10 BIPOC women- and non-binary-led organizations that are actively working to dismantle economic inequality. Common Future believes in an economy in which power is accessible to all, no matter their race and class.

That’s why the Common Future Accelerator 2024 Cohort supports organizations developing models to close the racial wealth gap by removing social, financial, and political barriers that stand in the way of transformative change.

Learn More About Common Future's Accelerator

Congratulations Fellow 2024 Cohort Members

We are excited to collaborate with a community of like-minded changemakers dedicated to driving transformation. Meet our fellow cohort members:

CannaBronx envisions a future where the very community members who’ve been most impacted by the criminalization of marijuana can heal from generations of trauma and be at the front of the line to build community wealth from the emerging cannabis industry.

Cooperation New Orleans is a movement working together to create programs, resources, and start conversations about the cooperative future New Orleans. The Black Liberation Academy and The New Orleans Loan Fund are just two of the resources they provide to their community.

Fit to Navigate offers wellness education programs to empower Ohio communities affected by the criminal justice system. They promote well-being and equip individuals with vital entrepreneurial skills to break the cycle of poverty.

Forward Cities is a national nonprofit equipping communities and regions to grow and sustain more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems to give every entrepreneur an equitable chance to generate wealth for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Justice for the People Legal Center is a nonprofit law firm that is dedicated to fighting for transformative justice, liberation and collective self-determination with and for people who currently and historically have endured violence, harm, and trauma by the U.S. and other colonial justice systems.

ReMix Ideas is committed to building a supportive ecosystem for Black Owned Businesses. They believe that the status quo is unsustainable and they seek not just to level the playing field, but to create a new one.

United for a Fair Economy (GOSA) Project challenges the concentration of wealth and power that corrupts democracy, deepens the racial divide and tears communities apart. They use popular economics education, trainings, and creative communications to support social movements working for a resilient, sustainable and equitable economy.

Wis(dom)

Wis(dom) Connection Roseland Theatre Redevelopment Project: more details coming soon!

Worker Justice Wisconsin empowers workers to stand up for their rights, and brings faith, labor and community allies together to fight: for fair wages, paid time off, healthy work/life balances; and against workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Dismantling Systemic Barriers in Education: Black Wildflowers Fund Launches $10 Million Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 1, 2023) - Black Wildflowers Fund, a non-profit organization committed to combating systemic racism in education, has launched a groundbreaking $10 million initiative to invest in Black educators across the country and help close the leadership gap.

The fund exists to acknowledge the unique challenges faced by Black educators and mitigate financial and professional risks for them as they embark on a movement to revolutionize what learning looks and feels like for Black children, school leaders, and parents. To do this the fund will provide start-up capital to assist Black educators in opening their own schools, and award scholarships to Black educators seeking Montessori training. Black Wildflowers also aims to cultivate a national community of support, wisdom, and collaboration for Black school leaders.

“We want to make it crystal clear that Black educators have the experience and vision to transform the education system. They already know what works because they’ve seen it in the classroom and they’ve lived it. The more barriers that we can remove and get out of their way, the more it’s possible to create thriving learning environments for our children,” said Maia Blankenship, Co-CEO of Black Wildflowers Fund.

Highly coveted and far too often tuition-based, Montessori education helps children develop independence, a sense of empathy, social justice and a lifelong love of learning. Recent studies have shown that children in Montessori environments experience accelerated learning, but these schools have traditionally been anchored in affluent white neighborhoods, leaving underserved communities behind. Black Wildflowers Fund wants to address this gap by giving Black educators access to professional pathways that empower communities to design in partnership with proven educators who are deeply connected to their community.

Grant applications will open this Summer. In addition to receiving funding from Black Wildflowers Fund, grantees will also have the support of the Wildflower Foundation. To learn more about Black Wildflowers Fund, please visit www.blackwildflowers.org, or RSVP for the June 5th Information Session here.

About Black Wildflowers Fund

Black Wildflowers Fund is a non-profit organization that exists to counter the systemic oppression of Black teachers, Black students, Black parents and Black communities. Their goal is to raise $10 million dollars in a fund designed to create 200 Black-led microschools by 2033 and build a national network of support to sustain a thriving community of Black education leaders. The organization is led by co-CEOs Dr. Erika McDowell and Maia Blankenship and is a sister organization of The Wildflower Foundation.

Contact

Katelyn Shore

katelyn.shore@wildflowerschools.org

(617) 939- 3775

Watch highlights from Black Wildflowers Fund's Launch Announcement Event

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