THE NATIONAL COALITION OF BLACKS FOR REPARATIONS IN AMERICA WAS AWARDED MACARTHUR FUNDS SUPPORTING AN EQUITABLE RECOVERY
The grant will support N’COBRA’s work to advance reparatory justice.
Washington, DC July 27, 2021 — The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America was awarded a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its work to advance the call for reparations.
The grant is part of roughly $80 million in awards MacArthur announced today in support of the foundation’s Equitable Recovery initiative, centered on advancing racial and ethnic justice. The initiative is funded by MacArthur’s social bonds, issued in response to the crises of the pandemic and racial inequity.
“For 34 years, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) has worked to lead the call for reparations due to African Americans. Thus, as the premiere grassroots organization advancing the call for reparations, N’COBRA is proud to accept the Equitable Recovery program grant from the MacArthur Foundation. We welcome and appreciate this extraordinary commitment,” said Kamm Howard, National Co-Chair of N’COBRA. “It is due to the tireless work of our ancestors that N’COBRA was able to form, grow, and continue the fight for reparations at the grassroots level. Our movement has focused on amplifying the Black condition in America with accuracy and action, emphasizing the Five Injury Areas of Slavery & Systemic Racism: Peoplehood/Nationhood, Education, Health, Criminal Punishment, and Wealth/Poverty.”
“As we emerge from this moment of crisis, we have an opportunity to improve the critical systems that people and places need to thrive. Our systems and structures must be rebuilt,” said MacArthur President John Palfrey. “We are committed to ensuring that our response to the pandemic is focused on supporting the reimagining of systems that create a more just, equitable, and resilient world.”
The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) is the premiere mass-based coalition of organizations and individuals organized for the sole purpose of obtaining reparations for African descendants in the United States.
N’COBRA is one of 37 organizations receiving grants totaling $36 million advancing the Racial Justice Field Support, with a Focus on Combating Anti-Blackness; a focus area of the Foundation’s initiative. Racial Justice Field Support, with a focus on combating anti-Blackness, supports building Black power by supporting Black-led and -focused philanthropic organizations. MacArthur also will take a leadership role in positioning reparations and racial healing as issues that philanthropy helps to meaningfully address.
To advance racial and ethnic justice, MacArthur is supporting work in that focus, as well as three other areas:
- Self-determination of Indigenous Peoples supports uplifting Indigenous communities to enable autonomous pursuit of a recovery guided by their priorities, cultures, and practices.
- Public Health Equity and COVID-19 Mitigation and Recovery supports improving access to resources for immediate health challenges while advancing new policies, models, and structures to support a more equitable and resilient public health sector in the future.
- An Equitable Housing Demonstration Project supports restoring communities and reducing incarceration and housing instability by generating an array of housing solutions that can help to permanently end the use of jails and prisons as housing of last resort.
MacArthur identified the areas through a participatory process with a diverse group of external advisors, who informed its strategic approach. The participatory process aimed to center the voices of communities that are affected by the Foundation’s decisions and have a stake in the grantmaking outcomes.
This is the first time the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America has received a grant from MacArthur. Almost two-thirds of the awards represent new grantee relationships, and most of the organizations are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led or -serving. The grants also reflect MacArthur’s global reach: 45 percent of the new funding supports work outside of the U.S., including 12 percent in India, and 14 percent in Nigeria, where MacArthur has offices.
Equitable Recovery Initiative
In the fall of 2020, MacArthur established a $125 million Equitable Recovery Initiative. The Foundation deployed $40 million of bond proceeds through 24 grants. Initial grants focused on strengthening voter mobilization and election protection, addressing anti-Black racism, and supporting Native Americans impacted by COVID-19. Grants also supported Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous arts organizations in Chicago, technology and justice, and a fund for social entrepreneurs advancing racial equity.
View all Equitable Recovery grantees.
MacArthur media contact: Kristen Mack, kmack@macfound.org
National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America Media contact: info.media.ncobra@gmail.com.