POISE Foundation has plenty of reasons to celebrate! This is its 40th year as a community foundation focused on inspiring and empowering African Americans. To commemorate this milestone year, the foundation has planned a series of online community conversations and events designed to bring greater awareness to the need for Black Philanthropy and the need to strengthen Black families and their communities.
Preliminary Event Schedule for 2021:
- May 13 – The Cousins Event
- June 24 – Community Conversation: Economic Justice
- July 8 – Scholarship Celebration
- August – Black Philanthropy Month Community Conversation: Why Do I Give?
- June – Community Conversation
- September – Community Conversation: Education
- October – Grantee Spotlight
- November – Community Conversation: Mental Health
- December – Year End Event
“In the midst of a pandemic, the POISE Foundation has positioned itself to thrive and make even greater investments in the Black community. For example, we successfully launched a Critical Community Needs Fund which supports small to mid-side Black Led organizations helping to sustain our community during the crises of Covid-19 and anti-Black violence. This has resulted in awarding more than $1 million to these local organizations. This is one of the many reasons we are celebrating,” says Greg Spencer, Chair of the Board of Trustees, POISE Foundation.
“POISE Foundation is the second Black public foundation created in the United States, and the first and only one in Pennsylvania. Its founder, Bernard H. Jones, Sr. believed in self-sufficiency and growing assets in, for and by the Black community. In 1980, the foundation began with 3 funds valued at $164,000. We now manage over 200 funds valued at over $11 million. That’s a reason to celebrate,” says Mark S. Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer, POISE Foundation.
POISE Foundation continues to educate the community on the power of collective giving and collective action. The year-long activities scheduled will celebrate Black excellence, while emphasize the importance of strengthening the Black community through wealth-building.
For more information about POISE Foundation, visit www.poisefoundation.org
POISE Foundation was established in 1980 in the format of a community foundation. Its mission it to assist the Black community in achieving self-sustaining practices through strategic leadership, collective giving, grantmaking and advocacy. Created in the format of a Community Foundation, POISE receives funds from a variety of donors. These funds may be unrestricted, and used to support its grantmaking strategy, or donor-directed for specific charitable purposes.
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