Organizations supporting Black women and girls across the American South can expect a bit more joy 鈥� and more money 鈥� this summer following a new round of grants.
The Southern Black Girls and Women鈥檚 Consortium will grant $350,000 to two dozen Southern community organizations working in thirteen states. The grants will fund organizations that address acute challenges facing underserved Black women and girls, like maternal health, gender-based violence prevention and educational support.
The funding and tour come at a moment when organizations focused on supporting underserved communities face funding crunches following the Trump administration’s
The administration has invoked civil rights laws traditionally understood to have protected the rights of marginalized communities to investigate or prosecute instances of 鈥渁nti-white racism鈥� and 鈥渋llegal DEI鈥� in companies, non-profits and government agencies.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen this retrenchment in philanthropy, and people are not putting resources on the ground,鈥� said Chance茅 Lundy, Southern Black Girls鈥� executive director. 鈥淥rganizations are struggling, and we want to make sure that people know that we see them. We value the work that we鈥檙e doing, and we want to be able to help fill some of the gaps that they are experiencing.鈥�
The grants coincide with the organization鈥檚 summer 鈥淛oy and Justice鈥� tour, which convenes community building activities, resource drives and festivals in nine cities. Most of the tour stops take place at schools and community centers in majority-Black neighborhoods. One rally will take place at the Virginia Capitol alongside agency leaders promoting diversity in the state’s government.
Southern Black Girls has maintained , though Lundy described the efforts to maintain those relationships as 鈥渆xtremely difficult鈥� for most groups in the current political climate, where supporting race and gender conscious organizations may prompt backlash from the federal government.
鈥淲e鈥檙e being punished for who we are,鈥� said LaTosha Brown, a voting rights activist and co-founder of the organization.
President Donald Trump , the first Black woman presidential nominee of a major party. About 9 in 10 Black women backed Harris for the presidency, according to a survey of voters by AP VoteCast. Brown said that Black women鈥檚 longstanding participation in liberal politics made them a 鈥渢arget鈥� in the current political climate.
鈥淲e have always been anchored, particularly in the social justice movements of this country, and I don鈥檛 think that that鈥檚 any different now. I think in many ways it has been exacerbated, just given the environment,鈥� said Brown.
Both Brown and Lundy noted that Black women have always faced discrimination and marginalization in the South despite being integral to the region’s economy and culture. Lundy recalled stories of past generations of Black women who raised the children of white families that upheld Jim Crow policies that underfunded schools, restricted voting and enabled political violence against Black communities.
鈥淵ou have to have a deep, deep sense of humanity to be able to do that,鈥� said Lundy. She said that the tour was part of promoting Black women’s place in the country’s history and future as the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. 鈥淲e’ve kept our humanity intact through it all, and I think this moment requires that.鈥�
Lundy said she hoped the tour and grants would enable Black girls to reach their full potential.
鈥淵ou matter now in this moment,鈥� Lundy said was her 鈥渏oyful鈥� message to young Black girls. 鈥淎nd you鈥檙e not a victim. You are actually the solution, that you are the antidote to what is happening right now.鈥�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
