HBCU in LA, Social Change Fund United

FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO

Dear Friends,

A significant area of growth in our work and that of our partners has been in social justice and equity. Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul formed Social Change Fund United to increase public safety and criminal justice reform, civic engagement, economic investment, arts and education, and health equity. Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab created Know Your Rights Camp to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities, and through EIF’s Careers Program, we joined forces with Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program to serve as a fiscal partner for their HBCU in LA program to develop and prepare diverse student leaders for careers in the entertainment industry.

Each of these initiatives illuminates the challenges that people of color face -not simply during the last steps toward success – but gaps that exist all along the journey. We are proud to partner with leaders in sports and entertainment who inspire millions of young people and who are at the heart of meaningful change.

– Nicole Sexton

PHILANTHROPIC PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
HBCU IN LA

HBCU in LA develops diverse student leaders from our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities for careers in the entertainment industry. The initiative is one area of focus for the Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program (EICOP).

A National Association of Colleges and Employers survey of employers found that “Internships are the most influential factors in a hiring decision when a company chooses between two otherwise equally-qualified candidates.” When students of color are excluded from internships or are under-recruited, they are often disproportionately shut out of access to employment opportunities.

Launched in partnership with The White House in 2017 as the first program to provide placement services for HBCU students in Hollywood, HBCU in LA offers a 10-week paid internship placement for each participant. Transportation, housing and living expenses, and full wrap-around support, including career coaching, professional development, mentorship, guest lectures, site visits, and access to industry events are provided to students. Last summer, 125 interns were placed through EICOP’s HBCU program.

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PHILANTHROPIC PARTNER HIGHLIGHT
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CAMP

Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) is advancing the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization, and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.

Founded by Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab, KYRC recently completed its eleventh camp at the Legacy School of Sports Sciences in Houston, bringing together children of color for a day filled with education, fellowship, support, and love. The Houston event offered valuable insights into history, tech careers, legal rights, mental health support, and more.

At the heart of its mission to uplift Black and Brown communities, KYRC works to educate, empower, and mobilize the emerging generation of change leaders.

Watch KYRC’s Video from Houston

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PHILANTHROPIC PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
SOCIAL CHANGE FUND UNITED

Social Change Fund United (SCFU) was founded by Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade in response to continued racial injustice across our country.

The work of SCFU spans public safety and criminal justice reform, civic engagement, economic investment, arts and education, and health equity, distributing nearly $1 Million in grants to support 25 strategic programs that address critical issues at the heart of our communities.

Focusing on criminal justice reform, in partnership with the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, SCFU granted $25,000 to 25 Black and Brown students enrolled in law school to foster diversity and equity within the legal community. To foster civic engagement, during the 2022 midterm election, SCFU launched a voter education and mobilization initiative informed, designed and led by college students. On the campuses of Spelman College and Morehouse College, SCFU volunteers packaged 300 voter kits to distribute across three Atlanta-area polling stations. To support education, SCFU granted more than $50,000 to Donors Choose to increase opportunities for Black, male educators. According to a study at UNC Chapel Hill, “the graduation rate among Black students increased by 33% if they had at least one Black teacher between third and fifth grade.”

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