Overcoming doubts and finding value-aligned funders

05/25/23 • 54 min

BIPOC news leaders have a hard time overcoming racial bias to find funding and support.

Black women are starting businesses at the fastest clip of any other racial group. Many of these startups don’t reach their full potential — or fail — in part because they can't raise the capital to start or sustain their businesses.

In that spirit, The Pivot Fund held an intimate conversation between Amethyst J. Davis, the founder and publisher of the Harvey World Herald, and Wendi C. Thomas, the founder and publisher of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit based in Memphis, Tennessee. Though at different points in their journeys, Davis and Thomas discuss their difficulties and challenges as startup newsroom leaders.

Panelists included:

Amethyst J. Davis, The Harvey World Herald
Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

About The Pivot Fund

The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.

BIPOC news leaders have a hard time overcoming racial bias to find funding and support.

Panelists included:

Amethyst J. Davis, The Harvey World Herald
Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

About The Pivot Fund

Previous Episode

Addressing the challenges BIPOC-led news organizations face

The Pivot Fund CEO Tracie Powell and Northeastern University associate professor Dr. Meredith Clark discuss the unique difficulties BIPOC-led news organizations and startups face.

This conversation is moderated by Melanie Sill, the founding executive director of the NC Local News Workshop at Elon University.

For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.

Next Episode

Solutions That Just Work

At The Pivot Fund, we know true empowerment for community-led news outlets goes beyond the headlines. It's about providing the necessary tools and support to drive sustainable growth and success. That's why we're thrilled to partner with Justworks, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), to bring you an exciting opportunity! The Just Thrive program offers women and minority-owned businesses a grant to support their administrative services.

Solutions That Just Work reviews practical HR tips for startups and resources to streamline processes, save time, comply with state and federal laws and regulations, and more.

Guests:

Tracie Powell, Founder and CEO, The PIvot Fund
Khadija Collins, Operation Manager, Documented NY
Vania Andre, Chief Technology Officer, Haitian Times
Doug Drosin, Channel Manage, Partnerships, Justworks
Moses Balian, HR Consultant, Justworks

The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit https://thepivotfund.org.