The Black Equity Collective (BEC) is a community-focused, public-private partnership with Black equity as its central, driving force, emphasizing investing in Black-led organizations. BEC’s focus is to strengthen the long-term capacity and infrastructure of Black-led social justice organizations in Southern California.

Born out of two organizations – the Social Good Solutions Firm and the Black Equity Initiative — BEC’s mission is centered on the belief that progress on Black equity and racial justice must be part of any credible social justice movement in the United States, underscoring the importance of investing in Black-led organizations.

Additionally, the collective believes equity is only achieved when philanthropic investments, public policies, and institutional practices converge to boldly confront racial injustice.

Kaci Patterson, the founder and Chief Architect of Social Good Solutions and the Black Equity Collective, has over 18 years of experience in the non-profit and philanthropy sectors, managing several multi-million-dollar grant-making portfolios.

California Black Media (CBM) spoke with Patterson recently. She discussed the organization’s successes, disappointments, and lessons from 2024 as they continue their initiatives into the new year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why?

This year, we celebrated our 10th anniversary as a firm. Since the firm’s inception, we are proud to announce that cumulatively we’ve been able to raise and leverage over $55.5 million for Black-led organizations in California.

One of the things that we have accomplished — and we are very proud of — is our expanded membership. We had an initial goal of 30 to 40 organizations. We have a current membership of 54 organizations and a waiting list of over 120.

How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians?

We launched a survey involving 200 Black-led organizations to study the economic impact of Black-led organizations on California’s GDP. The results of that survey will be released in early 2025. One of the reasons that the survey is important is that it develops a narrative around why there is severe underinvestment in Black-led organizations.

Read the full article about investing in Black-led organizations by Fisher Jack at EURweb.