New Black Girls Defense Fund Offers $2K Mini-Grants to Fight Dehumanization and Protect Rights
The Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium (SBGWC) has opened applications for its Black Girls Defense Fund: Resistance and Resilience Grant, aimed at supporting organizations fighting the systemic dehumanization of Black girls and women in the South. These grants, offering up to $2,000, are designed to fund community-led efforts that provide legal support, protection, and advocacy.
Black girls continue to face disproportionate challenges, from adultification bias to systemic violence. This fund seeks to empower organizations actively working to counter these injustices.
Addressing the Urgency of Dehumanization and Adultification Bias
A recent incident in Winter Haven, Florida, highlights the harsh reality Black children face: police body camera footage showed a 3-year-old Black girl lying face down with her hands behind her back as officers, guns drawn, approached her and her mother. Despite being a toddler, she was treated as a threat rather than a child in need of protection. Her heartbreaking plea—“Please don’t kill us”—exemplifies how deeply adultification bias is ingrained in law enforcement and society at large.
Research consistently shows that Black children are often seen as older, less innocent, and more threatening than their white peers. This bias criminalizes childhood itself, stripping Black girls of the protection and care they deserve.
“The persistent dehumanization of Black girls in our society has created a security crisis that demands immediate action,” said Chanceé Lundy, Executive Director of SBGWC. “When Black girls are viewed as less innocent, less deserving of protection, and more adult-like than their peers, they face heightened vulnerability across all systems—from education to juvenile justice to healthcare. The Black Girls Defense Fund supports those working to dismantle these harmful perceptions through advocacy, policy change, and legal support.”
A Commitment to Protect and Empower Black Girls
LaTosha Brown, Visionary Founder of SBGWC, emphasized the transformative impact of investing in Black girls.
“I’ve always maintained that if you change the life of a Black girl, you change the world,” Brown said. “In the South, where Black women and girls have historically led movements for justice while receiving the least support, these mini-grants represent both recognition and revolution. The defense fund is our way of protecting, advocating, and continuing to fight for the innocence and freedom of our Black girls at a time when their basic rights are increasingly under attack.”
These grants are more than financial assistance—they’re strategic investments in organizations already leading the charge. With funding for Black women and girls’ issues increasingly restricted, even small grants can provide critical resources to sustain advocacy efforts.
How to Apply for the Black Girls Defense Fund
Applications for the Resistance and Resilience Grant are open from March 20 to April 10, 2025. Eligible organizations must:
• Work to support Black girls, women, or femme-identifying youth
• Operate in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Texas
• Hold 501(c)(3) nonprofit status or have fiscal sponsorship from another nonprofit
About Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium
Founded in 2017, SBGWC is dedicated to closing the philanthropic gap for Black women-led organizations in the South. Despite the region’s $4.8 billion in philanthropic investments, less than 1% reaches Black women and girls. Since its inception, the Consortium has awarded $10.2 million to 220 Black women-led organizations and distributed nearly $500,000 in grants to over 800 girls through initiatives like the #BlackGirlJoyChallenge.
Operating across 13 Southern states, SBGWC employs a participatory grantmaking approach that centers Black girls’ voices and experiences, supporting causes including racial justice, education, health and wellness, economic mobility, and leadership development.
These mini-grants serve as both a lifeline and a statement: Black girls deserve protection, resources, and a future free from systemic harm.
For more details and to apply, visit www.southernblackgirls.org/bgdefensefund.
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