Equipping people to break the barriers of poverty

Two years ago, I wrote a column about a new direction taking shape at United Way of Greater Cincinnati that seemed like quite a departure. The agency’s original model, of collecting charitable funds in workplace drives and redistributing it to certain community groups, was out of date. Moira Weir, who had recently become the president and CEO, wanted to focus the agency fiercely on one thing: fighting poverty. 

And, in line with what many philanthropic organizations have realized, she saw they needed to think in a new way. Rather than decide from the top what people affected by poverty needed, more effective solutions would come from the ground up. And one thing Weir thought they needed to do was ask the very people who weren’t often asked. They needed to ask the Black community. The result was the Black-Led Social Change project. 

In 2019, a team of 15 community leaders called the Black Agents of Change was assembled. They were tasked with creating a grant program and defining its guidelines, which is called United Way’s Black Empowerment Works.

The team looked for grantee organizations that were Black-led, though able to benefit a wider community. They could be brand-new or already established. They wanted to support people already doing the work, said Jeremiah Pennebaker, senior associate for Black-Led Social Change, such as a lady who’d been running a dance school in her neighborhood for 30 years, funding it from her own pocket. 

“They wanted to fund work that had potential to add a positive, uplifting view of the Black community,” said Pennebaker.

The first grants were around $25,000. Over the last three years, they have supported 130 organizations, granting $5 million. Many of the programs are aimed at children and youth. Popular areas of focus are food parity, enrichment and education. 

But there’s no limit on what kinds of activities they fund. “Poverty is a giant issue, you can’t fight it one way,” said Pennebaker. “We give people space to get creative with their ideas.” 

They found plenty of creativity. I called three men whose ideas were funded. They talked about other new ideas in philanthropy at work. They are “trauma-informed” – acknowledging past trauma and emphasizing trust and safety – and “strength-based” – building on existing skills. Each founder talked about the importance of Black kids having Black adults as teachers and role models, someone who looks like them, who came from similar circumstances and found a way upward. 

Sprouting Minds is a nonprofit particularly focused on finding ways to help youngsters with trauma. The organization helps children who’ve experienced adversity to cope and find resilience. “Let’s address what happened to a person, not what’s wrong with them,” said founder and social worker Jordan Payne. He goes to schools and agencies and helps kids create gardens. Kids build raised beds, including using power tools, then pick out and plant vegetables and flowers. Having a relationship with a trusted adult over the course of a garden year is an important part. So is the self-esteem from seeing the tangible result, like a huge pumpkin or food to take home. 

Wealth Builders gives Black young men a chance to earn $500 by participating in their program, created and run by the local affiliate of My Brother’s Keeper. It makes sense, because the program, offered currently at Aiken High School, teaches financial literacy. “We encourage young Black men to envision their best life, to think big, and to hold themselves accountable for doing what they need to do to get there,” said founder Terrance Bacchus. They are shown how to earn, budget, save and invest. They meet Black men with jobs in areas such as medicine or banking. 

The Dream Project, from Revolution Dance Theater, finds kids who have strengths related to ballet in some way and then builds on them. “We inspire young people to imagine themselves as stars, set seemingly impossible goals, and give them a chance to attain them through hard work,” said founder David Choate. He’s involved 300 kids at schools, some who come into a dance studio and learn from teachers who look like them and understand their lives. They end up on billboards, on stage in all-Black productions of ballet, in marketing videos. “Core beliefs about your place in the world will define your success,” said Choate, who aims to make those beliefs positive. 

As Pennebaker said, there’s not one way to fix poverty. There is a need for work at a wider level, of course: fixing, say, inequitable school funding, or challenging racism in the justice system. But these locally focused organizations were started by people who see the effects of poverty and racism around them, and equip as many people as they can with tools to break the barriers. 

I think about the network of support around me as I grew up: decent, safe schools, access to enrichment, a good view of the wide world and my pathways into it. In a poor community hollowed out by racist structures, that network has to be built by hand. It’s important that there are at least 130 organizations in Greater Cincinnati who have some money to help them build, whether it’s with grand jetés or zucchini seeds or opening a savings account.

Polly Campbell writes monthly on a variety of topics, and she welcomes your feedback and column suggestions at editor@moversmakers.org