Liberation Investment Grant
The BRIC Fund Liberation Investment Grant executes the concept of Black-led resources building Black-led solutions for Black people.
Mural Artist:Brandan “BMike” Odums and Rick Williams
The BRIC Fund Liberation Investment Grant* will be awarded to nonprofit organizations whose work is leading transformational efforts and projects to create systemic changes for Black people – that build community-wide opportunities, produce multi-generational impact and leave a legacy that benefits Colorado’s Black communities in the future.
Qualifications
1
Owned by a Black-led and serving nonprofit.
2
Project organically grown in community.
3
Demonstrates community buy-in and community need.
4
Builds on existing assets of the nonprofit, and/or the larger Colorado Black community(ies).
5
Results directly benefit the current and future generations of Colorado’s Black community(ies).
6
Expands and deepens the impact of the nonprofit and/or the community(ies) ecosystem(s) it is a part of.
*Important Note: The Liberation Investment Grant is a targeted grant and not a responsive grant. As such, grant applications cannot be submitted for consideration – grants are determined by and at the discretion of the BRIC Fund.
2023 Inaugural Liberation Investment Grant Recipients
CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE
(CRPD)
CRPD is moving to expand the legacy and impact of arts in Black communities. The grant is being awarded to Cleo Parker Robinson Dance to support the purchase of the Shorter Building property, where the organization has resided for over 20 years. The ability to buy and expand the existing building will cement CRPD’s presence and impact in the Five Points community – allowing the organization to own its destiny – and providing a space to build and give back to the community through expanded programs and education in arts and dance. This investment ensures Colorado’s Black arts community has an anchor institution to be a proactive force to create an economic ecosystem to nurture Black artists, not limited to dance. This project will elevate the history and heritage of Black arts while expanding its community’s roots of creative artistry and sealing its legacy for generations to come.
Collaborative Healing Initiative within Communities
(CHIC DENVER)
CHIC Denver is taking the essential steps to understand the financial impact of decades of inequitable practices. The grant will support CHIC’s creation of a task force to determine the extent to which Black Coloradans have experienced and continue to experience racial discrimination linked to harmful practices, policies, and systems of the state. This work will quantify the generational economic impacts of those damages and create a platform to build viable solutions that could impact the outcomes of future generations. Findings from this research will help justify the recommendation of specific remedies for Black Coloradans in the form of housing, health, education, and criminal justice resources and programming.