Black Future Co-Op Fund: A New Paradigm

A strategic and creative partnership

We are honored to serve as strategic and creative partner to the Black Future Co-op Fund, Washington state’s first cooperative philanthropy created by and for Black Washingtonians to ignite generational wealth, health, and well-being. Created by four Black women of African descent, the Fund architects stand on the shoulders of their grandmothers and the memory of their warrior ancestors. At the time of the Fund’s founding, the United States was in the midst of reckoning with racism and racial injustice made most prominent by the brutal, public killing of George Floyd.

A brand rooted in Blackness

We started by listening to the four architects of the Fund to understand the purpose, principles, and values undergirding this new endeavor. Through a series of collaborative workshops, we distilled their positioning as Black warriors reinventing philanthropy. From there, we crafted the Fund’s story and messaging, centered on the beauty, strength, and soulfulness of Blackness. The Fund’s visual brand is inspired by African cultures and art throughout the diaspora, with vibrant earth tones, mud blocks, and tribal patterns. A thumbprint design is the backdrop, emphasizing the connection to our ancestors, while also symbolizing the Fund’s intention of leaving a mark on philanthropy.

Amplifying a truthful Black narrative

We then worked with the architects to develop both organizational and communications strategies. We helped them define the Fund’s primary areas of impact and articulate a theory of change. We created a website and social channels as platforms to build brand recognition across the state.

In storytelling, we didn’t want to follow the typical route of spotlighting Black people only during Black History Month, and instead envisioned an ongoing campaign, #KnowBlackStories, to lift up Black people year round. Through video, earned and social media, and regular emails, our aim has been to promote the truthful narrative of Black people.

We See You grants

Working with the Fund from its inception, we’ve had the opportunity to be a thought partner in all aspects of their mission. We collaborated to define their grantmaking approach, naming them “We See You” grants to acknowledge and lift up the vital work Black leaders do every day in their communities, which has largely been overlooked and underfunded by traditional philanthropy.