Excellerator Fund: Promoting Racial Equity through Community Driven Impact Investments and Collaborations

The murder of George Floyd launched widespread social unrest, particularly in Chicago’s Black and Mexican communities. Seeing a need to bridge the widening gap between these two communities, Luis Guiterrez of Latinos Progresando (LP) and Carlos Nelson of Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC) developed the Excellerator Fund to invest in Black-led and Mexican-led organizations. Excellerator’s community-driven grantmaking model centers Black and Mexican voices in directing capacity investments to organizations on the south and west sides of Chicago, while building bonds across communities. Through efforts focused on racial equity, the Excellerator Fund’s goal is to share the critical importance of supporting localized strategies with a collaborative, culturally responsive approach to leadership and a shared vision of health, aspiration, and prosperity in underserved Black and Mexican communities.

Join this session to learn how Excellerator supports the nonprofit ecosystem, advances cross-community collaboration, and develops an agile and shared learning environment that centers Black and Mexican leadership to disrupt traditional patterns of philanthropy. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of how you, as a community leader, can help bridge the gaps between communities of color.