Grand Victoria Foundation

03/25/2026

Had a wonderful time joining Mary Morten and Sol Anderson on Gathering Ground. We got into everything: where Grand Victoria Foundation came from, what trust-based philanthropy looks like at scale, and how we’ve been thinking about this political moment.

One thing I keep coming back to: when you’ve built your work on the belief that this is everybody’s work — not just Black people’s work, not just funders’ work, but ours together — the conviction to stay the course starts to feel less like courage and more like clarity.

🎧 Full episode: bit.ly/gatheringground

03/25/2026

Had a wonderful time joining Mary Morten and Sol Anderson on Gathering Ground. We got into everything: where Grand Victoria Foundation came from, what trust-based philanthropy looks like at scale, and how we’ve been thinking about this political moment.
One thing I keep coming back to: when you’ve built your work on the belief that this is everybody’s work — not just Black people’s work, not just funders’ work, but ours together — the conviction to stay the course starts to feel less like courage and more like clarity.

🎧 Full episode: bit.ly/gatheringground

02/27/2026

Celebrating Illinois' Black History. Investing in Its Black Future. - https://mailchi.mp/grandvictoriafdn.org/gvf-summer-newsletter-6430228

02/25/2026

Pembroke Township × Black Abundance
Pembroke Township holds one of the most remarkable and unique Black histories in Illinois — a story rooted in land, resilience, and self-determination.
Founded by formerly enslaved Black families, Pembroke became a place where land ownership, farming, and community building shaped generations. Here, Black families cultivated not only crops, but autonomy, dignity, and legacy. Agriculture was never simply labor — it was independence, stewardship, and survival.
For decades, Pembroke stood as one of the largest Black farming communities north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Fields nourished families, sustained livelihoods, and connected rural Black Illinois to broader regional food systems.
This legacy continues today through community stewards and organizations like Black Oaks Center, where land restoration, knowledge sharing, and sustainable practices carry forward generations of wisdom and care.
Pembroke reminds us that Black abundance has always taken many forms — including land ownership, environmental stewardship, intergenerational resilience, and community rootedness.
This is not simply history.
This is Black abundance rooted in land, legacy, and community.
🖤✊🏾

02/18/2026

East St. Louis holds one of the most powerful Black histories in Illinois — a city shaped by migration, culture, creativity, and community influence. During a three-day immersion in East St. Louis, the Grand Victoria Foundation team connected with local leaders, organizations, and community members to deepen our understanding of the heart of this city and the ways philanthropy can support transformative work rooted in place and legacy.

From music and arts to food, sports, and entertainment, East St. Louis has produced generations of excellence and influence. The city’s impact is reflected not only in global figures like Miles Davis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Layton Greene, but also in the culture, pride, and talent that continue to emerge today.

This legacy is visible in places like East St. Louis Senior High School, a source of community pride and athletic excellence, earning the city its name — the City of Champions. Athletics, like music and the arts, are not just activities here — they’re expressions of resilience, identity, leadership, and collective power.

This is not simply a story of endurance.
This is a story of contribution, leadership, and cultural legacy.

This is Black abundance — created, carried, and sustained through generations, and still being shaped by community leaders, artists, athletes, and changemakers across East St. Louis.

🖤✊🏾

02/10/2026

During the Great Migration, Black families arrived in Chicago carrying vision, skills, culture, and collective power. They didn’t come empty-handed. They came prepared to build — and they did.
Neighborhoods formed. Institutions rose. A Black metropolis emerged.
Bronzeville became more than a place to live; it became a center of economic, cultural, and political life. Churches, schools, newspapers, music halls, and theaters weren’t just responses to exclusion — they were expressions of creativity, leadership, and self-determination. Spaces like the Regal Theatre and The Chicago Defender generated culture, amplified voice, and expanded what was possible.
Today, that legacy is visible in Bronzeville’s streets, murals, and public spaces — reminders that Black history is not frozen in time. It is living, evolving, and rooted in place.
This is not just the beginning of the story. It is an expression of Black abundance—created through vision and labor, shared through institutions and networks, and sustained through intentional investments in human capital and organizational infrastructure. The Grand Victoria Foundation’s Abundance movement reinforces this perspective by affirming that communities already possess the assets necessary for growth. It is the role of philanthropy to recognize, support, and scale those existing strengths.

02/03/2026

Black History Is Black Abundance. Black history is not only something we honor — it’s something we continue to build.
For generations, Black communities have created systems of care, resilience, and economic survival in the face of exclusion. That legacy lives on today through organizers, families, and leaders advancing people-powered solutions rooted in dignity and justice.
This Black History Month, we celebrate Black abundance — past, present, and future.
🖤✊🏾

01/29/2026

Join Yamani Yansá Hernandez, CEO of Groundswell Fund and Eveline Shen, author of Choosing to Lead Against the Current for an evening of community and conversation about courageous leadership and navigating uncertainty. RSVP at the link below!

https://lnkd.in/eHF9rnhx

01/20/2026

We’re proud to celebrate our new grantee partner, The TRiiBE, whose co-founders have been named 2026 Community Builder Award Honorees for their powerful work reshaping the narrative of Black Chicago.

Through bold, community-centered journalism, The TRiiBE continues to elevate stories that matter, amplify local voices, and strengthen civic engagement across Chicago and beyond.

Join us in congratulating Morgan Elise Johnson and Tiffany Walden as they are honored at the 2026 Community Builder Awards on Saturday, January 24, 2026.

We’re honored to support leaders who are building informed, empowered, and connected communities.

Learn more and register to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-community-builders-awards-2026-tickets-1979667639200?aff=oddtdtcreator



https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/web-view?a=WbHgtr&c=01HRZ47JM4B2QK5Z25KMRJ8HB8&k=6166a4a73ca2015dde56bc0d99093ded&m=01KETY55K5R6RSS4AWBJG6BCW2&r=01KEWQZP5AXJT84SKJH7M891BH.

Onni Group and The Intelligence Group presents the 4th Annual Community Builders Awards at The Bell

01/16/2026

Now Open: Forefront’s Racial Equity Collective — Cohort 2026

Forefront is inviting nonprofit, philanthropic, and community leaders from across Illinois to apply for its Racial Equity Collective (REC) — a year-long cohort focused on building leadership, collaboration, and real change for racial equity.

Participants work together to strengthen organizations, build regional coalitions, and tackle issues like housing, mental health access, immigrant rights, and voter engagement.

We especially encourage leaders outside of Cook County to apply and join this powerful statewide network.

Deadline to apply: January 30
Apply here: myforefront.org/rec/cohort26

Grand Victoria Foundation is proud to share this opportunity with our partners and grantee community as we continue working toward a more just and equitable Illinois.

12/17/2025

As we close out the year, we’re reflecting on a moment that feels both familiar and urgent.

History is echoing — and once again, ordinary people are doing extraordinary things.

In our end-of-year newsletter, President Sharon Bush shares a powerful reflection on what we are seeing now, how it connects to what came before, and what courage looks like in this moment. You’ll also find reflections from our team’s visit to Montgomery and Selma, and stories of people power in action across Illinois.

10/23/2025

We’re proud to celebrate two of our new Grand Victoria Foundation grantee partners whose powerful work will be featured at this year’s Black Harvest Film Festival November 7 – 16.

1. Equity and Transformation (EAT) — “The Restore Fellowship Documentary”
Directed by Richard Wallace and the EAT team.
Screenings: Sunday, November 9 at 12:00 PM & Tuesday, November 11 at 8:30 PM

2. Essence McDowell — “Invisible Giants”
Produced and directed by Essence McDowell, Founder of Kemtiyu Arts Media

Both films uplift stories rooted in community and creativity, while also shifting narratives about Black people’s role in shaping history and what healing and repair from racial injustice can look like. We’re honored to support these visionary storytellers as they share their work with audiences at one of the nation’s premier Black film festivals.