RealTalk: It’s Not a Donation. It’s an Investment in Power.

Alright, family. Let’s talk. Lean in.

August is Black Philanthropy Month. And maybe when you hear that term, your mind goes to check-writing and galas. To something… distant. Something done to us, or for us.

We need to break that frame. Right here. Right now.

Real philanthropy—the kind that rewires the future—isn't about charity. It’s about power. It’s about fuel. It’s about looking at our genius, our grit, our boundless, revolutionary potential and saying, "Yes. That. We are betting EVERYTHING on that."

That’s the energy that built the HBCUs that nurtured a King and a Jemison. It is a legacy of building our own tables when the world said we didn’t even deserve a seat.

And right now, that same fierce, foundational energy is surging through our movements. It’s flowing into the most critical battleground for our liberation: education.

But let’s keep it REAL: the system wasn’t built for our children to thrive. It was built for something else. And trying to reform a house with a rotten foundation is a fool’s errand. We’re not here to ask for a new coat of paint. We are the architects designing entirely new structures.

Think about it. Who knows the blueprints for our liberation better than us? Who understands the rhythm of our communities, the poetry in our languages, the fire in our stories?

We do.

The Surge Fellowship isn’t a program. It’s an ecosystem. It’s a forge where we take the most brilliant, passionate, and clear-eyed Black and Latinx leaders, and we don’t just give them a seat—we hand them the tools to build the whole building. We provide the network, the capital, the unwavering belief that their vision isn’t just possible—it’s essential.

This is where philanthropy becomes prophecy.

When you invest in a Surge Institute, you’re not writing a check to a nonprofit. You are fueling a sovereign force. You’re investing in the principal who transforms a school into a sanctuary of affirmation. You’re backing the entrepreneur whose ed-tech platform centers our narratives. You’re empowering the policy shaper who rewrites the rules so they finally work for us.

You are investing in the leaders who don’t just climb the ladder—they knock down the walls and let everyone in.

This Black Philanthropy Month, we’re calling for a surge of investment in our own power. We’re calling for a radical reclamation of the word “philanthropy”—taking it back to its Greek roots: love for humanity.

And what is a more profound act of love than believing in our own people enough to resource them fully? To trust them completely? To unleash them unapologetically?

The kids are watching. They’re waiting for a sign that the world is ready for their magic. Let’s show them we’re building it right now.

Let’s invest. Let’s build. Let’s Surge.

Join us. The most powerful investment you can make is in the architect of a new world.

-William J. Collins

‍Chief External Affairs Officer

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