The Black Future Co-op Fund recently announced the expansion of their team and the appointment of Shona Carter as director of partner engagement & investment and Stephen Robinson as director of community engagement & learning. Launched in June 2020 amidst America’s racial reckoning, the Fund is Washington’s first cooperative philanthropy created by and for Black people. Carter and Robinson join Sen. T’wina Nobles, who is one of four founding architects of the Fund and was just announced in June as the inaugural CEO.
“Adding Shona Carter and Stephen Robinson to the Black Future Co-op Fund team strengthens our ability to strategically address the work before us of connecting our community for collective power, bringing truth to Black narratives and investing in Black generational wealth,” said Nobles. “Both bring extraordinary talent, expertise and integrity to implement the vision, mission and values of the Black Future Co-op Fund.”
Carter’s perspectives from living and working in southwest Washington and her 20 years of philanthropic experience will be invaluable in her role as director of partner engagement & investment, where she will be responsible for growing trusting partnerships and leading development to further the organization’s mission. Most recently, she served as vice president of community engagement and strategy at the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington. She is on Philanthropy Northwest’s board, and co-founded the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition, a cross-sector collaborative seeking to advance racial equity through policy advocacy, institutional change and fostering an inclusive culture.
“We have a unique opportunity to not only amplify the giving spirit and traditions of Black people, but also to demonstrate how an authentic, community-informed approach to philanthropy is the key to our collective liberation,” says Carter. “I’m truly grateful for this opportunity to help build partnerships and a sustainable pipeline of investments needed to address the systemic barriers impeding the well-being of Black Washingtonians.”
Robinson will lead the Fund’s community listening to build a powerful network of Black people and organizations across Washington. As a biracial Black man, he says he often plays the role of bridge builder, and will use his talents to collectively advance Black liberation. His perspective is informed by years of mentorship with a local medicine woman on pre-colonial community building, coupled with rigorous qualitative research that he developed as a community development Peace Corps volunteer. Previously, he was a senior philanthropic advisor at Seattle Foundation. He volunteers with the Pride Foundation and the UW’s Office of Minority Affairs.
“I consider myself a public servant who has been charged with stewarding a process that supports our communities’ ongoing efforts toward reimagining our society into something we would be proud to hand off to the sons, daughters and non-binary children who will come after us,” said Robinson. “My teacher often says ‘we are the ones that our ancestors prayed for,’ and I am energized to work on behalf of our collective ancestors and be a good ancestor.”
As the Fund enters its third year, it will continue the momentum built over the past two years, which has included:
- Raising $14.5 million to advance the Fund’s vision of a Washington state, working cooperatively, where all Black people are liberated, prosperous, and self-determined to fully live their lives.
- Investing $2 million in unrestricted funding to 60 Black-led organizations throughout the state that are serving their communities through arts, restorative healing, educational innovation, policy development and more;
- Launching a partnership with the UW Foster School Consulting and Business Development Center to support Black business owners in obtaining training and certification at no cost to them and strengthen their capacity; and
- Leading the Black Well-being: Moving Toward Solutions Together initiative, which included a recent statewide gathering that drew over 150 watch parties online and 75 people in person at community spaces in Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane — mobilizing folks around community-driven solutions to manifest Black well-being.
“This is a long-term endeavor, as we’re mitigating 300 years of racialized oppression and trauma,” said Nobles. “I’m grateful for Shona and Stephen to be onboard as we enter this next phase of the Fund. They will be instrumental in helping us build partnerships across the state, resource the organization and, ultimately, realize generational wealth, health and well-being for our people.”
