United For Equity Grant Fund

United for Equity Grant Program

CURRENTLY CLOSED

The present-day reality in the United States is that historical, persistent patterns of structural and institutional discrimination and implicit bias based on race/ethnicity, gender, and other identities have created lasting inequities and pose ongoing barriers to enabling all to achieve their highest potential.

United Way of Broome County recognizes that improving the lives of everyone in the communities we serve means we must explicitly focus on removing barriers for those most harmed by them. We also realize that those most equipped to improve the lives of marginalized communities are members of those marginalized communities themselves. They face the same structural racism that causes the inequities they seek to address. BIPOC-led organizations are less likely to receive corporate donations and foundation funding and receive a smaller percentage of unrestricted funding in comparison to white-led organizations. Furthermore, there is a meaningful gap between the representations of people of color in the nonprofit sector as compared to the representation of people of color in ED/CEO positions within the sector. This leadership gap persists despite similar qualifications, aspirations, and skills of people of color in the sector compared to their white counterparts.

The purpose of the Equity in Action Fund is twofold: one, to address the persistent, historical, and significant disparities that exist by race in Broome County and two, to address the barriers faced by organizations led by people of color, and barriers faced by people of color who aspire to leadership positions within the nonprofit sector.