BLAC Fund (Building Local Alignment in Community Fund)

Geographic Scope: Nebraska

Focus Areas: Reproductive health and wellbeing organizations and projects that support and are led by underserved populations, including but not limited to Black women, femmes, and girls

Background: The BLAC Fund is a participatory grant process powered by I Be Black Girl designed to support and uplift Black-led reproductive wellbeing organizations across Nebraska. The fund addresses the critical gap in philanthropic funding—according to the Pocket Change report by the Ms Foundation (2020), less than 1% of philanthropic giving reaches Black women, femmes, and girls.

Goals of the Initiative

• Advanced strategies requiring public health, healthcare and social service (multi-sector) systems to demonstrate accountability to community residents and their priorities
• Model participatory grantmaking approaches that shift power and influence to communities
• Provide additional support for community-led nonprofits for technical assistance, policy advocacy, leadership development, community organizing
• Foster meaningful, transparent, and equitable partnerships between community-led nonprofits and multi-sector systems
• Center communities of color, low-income residents and other individuals facing historic and ongoing harm from systemic inequities as co-creators and beneficiaries

Participatory Grantmaking Structure

• Co-designing funding strategies and priorities
• Reviewing and assessing proposals
• Establishing decision-making criteria
• Making funding decisions
• Participating in and co-designing evaluation

BLAC Fund Council

• Three-year council service
• Represents target communities with shared identities and lived experience
• No experience in philanthropy required

Application Process

Status: Applications were open January 27, 2025 through February 23, 2025 and are currently CLOSED as of April 3, 2026.

Next Steps: Check website for 2026 application reopening information.

Available Resources

• 2026 General Grant Application Overview
• 2026 BLAC Fund General FAQs
• 2026 Childcare Grant Application Overview
• 2026 Childcare FAQs
• 2026 General Information Session
• 2026 Childcare Information Session