Black Philanthropy Month (BPM), celebrated every August, is a global initiative founded in 2011 by Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland and the Pan-African Women's Philanthropy Network to recognize, elevate, and fund Black-led charitable giving. The 2026 theme, "Many Voices. One Movement," highlights funding equity and honors ancestral traditions of generosity.
This August, we invite our community to explore local giving options. Our Poverty Amidst Plenty VIII: Building Community Together – Community Needs Assessment Report is a good starting point for understanding the specific needs of populations across Anne Arundel County."
Past: Honoring the Record
The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum Endowment Fund, a CFAAC Nonprofit Agency Designated Fund, supports the State of Maryland's official museum of African American heritage. The museum documents and interprets African American history and culture, particularly in Maryland, through exhibitions and programs open to the public.
Present: Carrying the Work Forward
The BoCF’s Admiral Earl White Legacy Endowment Fund supports Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation (BoCF), established to preserve the legacy of African American watermen who helped build the Chesapeake's maritime and seafood industries. The mission has since grown to include environmental justice and training a new generation of maritime professionals in climate-vulnerable waterfront communities.
The Zeta Gamma Foundation, a Donor Advised Fund established by members of Sigma Pi Phi's Zeta Gamma Boulé, directs its Annapolis area members' philanthropic interests toward volunteer work and youth development.
On Friday, August 28, Give 8/28 offers a national day of online giving to Black-led and Black-benefiting organizations, with projects available through the BPM 2026 Events Calendar.
Future: Writing the Next Chapter
August is also National Make-A-Will Month. The Urban Institute found that nearly 70% of senior Black homeowners do not have a will or trust, compared with 35% of older white homeowners with children. Without a will, a home often becomes heirs' property, an unstable form of ownership that requires costly, time-consuming probate. Some estimates suggest that half of Black-owned land in the United States is held this way, tied to generations of property acquired without formal estate plans, particularly in the South, according to reporting cited by the Economic Policy Institute.
A gift through a will, a designated fund, or a donor advised fund is one way to carry that work forward. Learn more about planned giving at CFAAC.