Grantmaking InitiativesTrust Black Women Initiative
Trust
Black
Women
Initiative
In April 2020, as philanthropy and the rest of the world started waking up as a response to the Movement for Black Lives ( #BlackLivesMatter) Masto Foundation determined that we needed to be more explicit and committed about how we support Black communities.
We were already invested in supporting women, girls, and the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, we created the “Trust Black Women Initiative.” The goals of the initiative were clear: invest more resources, more effectively, in the Black community by listening to and fully trusting the advice of Black leaders and community activists.
Sister Song
In addition to endorsing eight Black-led organizations, at the beginning of the Trust Black Women Initiative, Masto Foundation offered a grant partnership to Sister Song, a Southern-based, national membership organization. Sister Song builds an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities.
Sister Song created the national Trust Black Women partnership in 2010 as a response to racist and sexist anti-abortion billboards that accused black women of genocide for obtaining abortions. The Trust Black Women partnership uses community connections, training, and strong communications to eradicate stereotypes and uplift black women’s voices.
