Elevating to Evolve: Stories of Wisdom, Excellence and a Call for Change from Black Women Nonprofit Leaders in Howard County
The Horizon Foundation and Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County have released a groundbreaking report examining Black women’s experiences, challenges and contributions in nonprofit leadership roles in Howard County.
The report “Elevating to Evolve: Stories of Wisdom, Excellence and a Call for Change from Black Women Nonprofit Leaders in Howard County” sheds light on the unique journeys of these leaders and calls for actionable steps toward greater equity and inclusion.
“The goal of the report is to elevate their stories and experiences, and to share perspectives on how we can better support Black women leaders as individuals, boards, and specifically as funders,” said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, President & CEO of the Horizon Foundation. “With this report, we hope to be better allies, better funders, and a more supportive community, particularly to Black women in nonprofit leadership roles.”
The Horizon Foundation and Women’s Giving Circle are working with other local funders to consider and coordinate a response to the findings. They hosted two Town Hall events on March 27 and April 1 at the Association of Community Services with the funders’ nonprofit grantees and board members, during which the report findings were presented and the report’s implications and applications were identified.
“Nonprofits play a pivotal role in addressing community needs and fostering social progress and ensuring that leadership reflects the diversity of the communities they serve is essential for equitable and effective outcomes,” said Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Executive Director of the Women’s Giving Circle. “This report not only amplifies the voices of Black women leaders but also provides a roadmap for organizations to address disparities and support transformative leadership.”
As a result of these early conversations with funders and the community we have identified several initial activities that will support Black women in leadership roles in the sector, including partnering with the Black Executive Directors Network to provide the women who participated in the report the space and opportunity to fellowship and learn and working with Whitney Parnell of Service Never Sleeps to provide allyship training for funders and nonprofit partners.
“I was proud to participate in the development of this important report,” said Claudia M. Allen, Director of Advancement for Maryland Humanities. “I appreciate the goals and the effort, and I am looking forward to continued collaboration to address the findings for the best possible outcomes for Black women in nonprofit leadership in our community.”
Horizon Foundation is the largest independent health philanthropy in Maryland. We are committed to a Howard County free from systemic inequities, where all people can live abundant and healthy lives. We fight for equitable and compassionate health and mental health care, access to affordable and safe homes, a community where healthy food is accessible and affordable and where all residents are able to generate and pass down wealth. Our mission is to work side by side with community to build power, advocate for policy change and dismantle structural racism to achieve better health for everyone in Howard County and greater Maryland. www.thehorizonfoundation.org
The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is building a community of philanthropists to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. We bring women together to learn about issues impacting women and girls in our community, and pool our dollars to fund programs that address those issues so we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone. We have been part of the Howard County community for 22+ years, have given $1.2 M+ to our nonprofit partners and we have a $1.1 M endowment from 1,700+ donors that will ensure that there are funds to support women and girls in our community in perpetuity. www.womensgivingcircle.org
