Ten grassroots nonprofit organizations serving Black and Brown communities across the country have been selected to join Strategic
Community Partners’ CREATE Accelerator. Strategic Community Partners (SCP) has partnered with Dr. Chris Emdin of Columbia University to develop the initiative with additional funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The CREATE (Culturally Responsive Education Advancing Toward Equity) Accelerator is an immersive development experience for community-centered organizations seeking to create a long-term impact with youth through culturally responsive practices. The 9-month experience serves as the first of its kind dedicated to engaging cohorts made up of grassroots organizations across the country aiming to catalyze the growth of well-defined culturally responsive education (CRE) philosophies, theories, and practices to the communities they serve. As a result of their experience in the Accelerator, participants will develop increased and strengthened educational experiences and
outcomes for students while also scaling their organizations for the long-term both locally in their current communities and nationally.
SCP has designated a majority of the Accelerator’s budget to fund capacity and national scaling of participating organizations. SCP will provide participants with access to capacity building workshops, coaching, and resources; engagement in a national community of practice with a connection to an expansive network; exposure to a national audience through the accelerator’s supporting partners; and funding access through internal and external grant opportunities aimed at scaling work and impact.
Founder & CEO of Strategic Community Partners, Dr. Chanel Hampton shared, “Our work in the nonprofit space has shown us that Black leaders, and their organizations, are held to higher standards and shifting standards. The CREATE Accelerator is an opportunity for us to take the resources, strategies, and supports we have developed locally and nationally and apply them on an even greater national scale to create a community of support for these Black-led grassroots organizations and those equitably serving Black and Brown youth.”
The national CREATE Accelerator cohort includes:
● Amateka College Prep – Washington D.C.
● Avenue Black Box Theater – Rochester, NY
● Detroit City Lions Youth Club – Detroit, MI
● HipHopEd STEM Genius – New York, NY
● The Hustler Guild – Washington D.C.
● JOURNi – Detroit, MI
● LitShop – St. Louis, MO
● Make Music Count – Atlanta, GA
● The National Association of Black Male Educators – Washington, D.C.
● Project Happyvism – Manchester, CT
The CREATE Accelerator is one example of a growing number of Equity Initiatives that SCP has designed, launched, and facilitated in its nearly seven years of service with communities. Initiatives include local and national conferences, fellowships, incubators, and scholarships that place power, influence, and resources directly in the hands of community members who are leading transformative change. Ultimately, SCP envisions a world where marginalized communities will secure seats at the table, lead the charges, and bring the solutions that their communities deserve, desire, and need.
For more information visit strategiccommunitypartners.org.
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