August is Black Philanthropy Month. And as this celebration of generosity reaches its peak on Black Giving Day, Surge Institute pauses to say what we mean and mean what we say: Black giving built this movement, and Black giving will sustain it.

This generosity exists across generations, sustained through systemic barriers, racial wealth gaps, and political headwinds that would have broken lesser communities long ago.

Rooted In a Tradition That Predates Philanthropy

Black philanthropy was never a trend. It was survival. The mutual aid societies of the post-slavery era. The church funds that financed the Civil Rights Movement. The NAACP, co-founded in 1909, sustained by Black donors who understood that investing in organized protection was the only way forward.

This tradition arose from something far more powerful than abundance: it came from an unshakeable belief that Black communities were worth investing in before anyone else was willing to say so.

That belief lives in Surge Institute today. As an organization founded and led by a Black woman, we are the direct inheritance of that tradition. Every fellowship cohort, every Surge Angels venture, every Impact Community member who shows up month after month represents the continuation of a line of giving that goes back generations. Your support funds programs and affirms a lineage in the same breath.

Every day, Surge leaders across the country are leaning into their genius and creating transformative change for young people, their families, and our broader communities. Thank you for believing in our work.

When you give to Surge, you are funding the teachers who will hire teachers who look like their students. You are funding the principals who will build schools where belonging is designed from the foundation. You are funding the superintendents who will advocate for families that have historically been excluded from the rooms where decisions get made. This is what your dollar does. This is where it goes. This is why it matters beyond the moment of giving.

Black Giving Day | Give 8/28  | Your Move

Black Philanthropy Month is a time to recognize and inspire giving from Black communities and allies. And while Surge hopes you will feel compelled to give at any moment this month, we ask that you particularly mark your calendar for Black Giving Day on August 28. Visit surgeinstitute.org/donate.

Before You Go, Put Your Knowledge to the Test

We built something to meet this moment. Surge Institute Black Philanthropy Jeopardy is an interactive trivia game with 16 questions across four categories covering Black giving history, Surge Angels entrepreneurship, education equity research, and the Impact Community. You play against an AI opponent. Every question you answer correctly will deepen your understanding of why this movement exists.

Play it. Share it. Then come back and invest in the movement.