OUR STORY
Recent events continue to expose a long history of systemic racism that exists in the United States, a history where Black people have been marginalized, brutalized, and lynched because of a bias against the color of their skin.
In response to these atrocities, our networks approached us with many questions, most predominantly: “Where and how can I help?” As a response, the Anti Racism Fund formed to create a platform to streamline the donation process into targeted organizations that take action to fight injustice and support our community.
We understand racism permeates our society and its institutions. Our goal is to eradicate these inequalities and build equity in our communities. The Anti Racism Fund provides capital to organizations as a way to inject social change. We connect you with a hand-selected portfolio of organizations aligned with our Four Pillars of Purpose.
OUR MISSIONS
As a response to the inequities experienced by the Black Community, the Anti Racism Fund provides capital from a pool of donations to a dynamic portfolio of organizations whose ethos align with ARF’s four Pillars of Purpose.
HEALTH & WELLNESS ACCESS
The Black community experiences significant disparities throughout the medical system when it comes to access to care, preventive screenings, and mental health. We collaborate with organizations who minimize these gaps in access and care.
Including but not limited to:
Access to Medication
Mental Health
Food Security
COMMUNITY OUTREACH & SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY
To build social, political, and financial strength our community needs support. We partner with organizations that build our community from the ground up.
Including but not limited to:
Voting Registration & Education
Music & Arts
LGBTQIA+ rights
Economic Parity
JUSTICE SYSTEM REFORM
Institutional racism permeates every step of the legal system, from policing to sentencing. We identify organizations that specialize in dismantling racial inequalities and uphold American constitutional rights.
Including but not limited to:
Legal Representation
Mass Incarceration
Government Accountability
EDUCATION PARITY
Education is one the greatest equalizers in eliminating racial disparities in the United States. We support organizations who provide educational opportunities and resources to our communities.
Including but not limited to:
After School Programs
Financial Literacy
Resource Access (laptops, books, etc.)
CURRENT INITIATIVE :
SILVER ART PROJECTS
The Anti Racism Fund takes action by providing capital to organizations as a way to inject social change. We connect you with a hand-selected portfolio of organizations aligned with our Four Pillars of Purpose.
The ARF’s current initiative supports Silver Art Projects. Silver Art Projects is a non-profit organization that supports, incubates and accelerates overlooked artists by providing free, year-long studio space at 4 World Trade Center, community-driven patronage, and career-focused mentorship designed to enable artists to conduct sustainable business practices.
MEET THE TEAM
Sesana Allen
Sesana Allen is an investor at Smash Capital, a New York and Los Angeles based Growth Equity firm. Previously, Sesana worked as a growth strategy at Accenture. She received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and Mandarin.
Nicolle Mora
Nicolle Mora is a fashion industry professional specializing in wholesale planning. She began her career working for Barneys New York and Bloomingdale’s while attending Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. There, Nicolle obtained her Bachelor of Science in both Marketing and Finance. Her diverse background includes positions at Yoox Net-A-Porter group, DVF Group and Rag & Bone. While Nicolle has excelled in the Fashion industry over the last 5 years, she has been inspired to begin a career in education and will be pursuing a Masters Degree in Education and Social Work in the fall.
Lindsey Ferguson
Lindsey is an attorney and founder based in New York City who has worked within both finance and entertainment. As a graduate of Howard University (’16) and the University of California Berkeley School of Law (’19), she has a commitment to public service and driving equitable change across all industries, and looks forward to the growth and impact of the Anti-Racism Fund.
Ken Chenault Jr.
Ken is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Benchstrength. Benchstrength is an early stage (pre-seed and seed) venture capital firm focused on investments in companies that transform business and uplift communities, with a particular focus on backing underrepresented founders. Prior launching Benchstrength, Ken was a Principal at General Catalyst. He also worked at Global Infrastructure Partners and Goldman Sachs. Ken received his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Harvard.
Kevin Chenault
Kevin Chenault is an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School class of 2021. Prior to business school, Kevin worked as a senior business development associate at DraftKings, a sports and entertainment technology company. There, Kevin led negotiations with sports data providers to develop multi-year licensing deals for data feeds critical to powering DraftKings’ gaming offerings. Kevin was previously a director of partnership at FROTH, a data-driven experiential marketing company, and a consumer marketing coordinator at Nickelodeon. Kevin graduated with an A.B in Government from Harvard in 2014.
Carter Lewis
Carter Lewis is a Vice President at Casa Verde Capital, a Los Angeles based Venture Capital firm. Previously, Carter worked as a business development associate at Jushi Holdings, a US based multi-state operator in the cannabis industry. Prior to Jushi, Carter was an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley in the consumer & retail group. Carter graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania (2017) and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (2023).
CONTRIBUTORS
Communications & Social Media
Julia Cassano and Mackenzie McKey
Legal
Anthony Dell
Consultants
Hili Banjo, Montana Blair, Jennifer Chung, Emma Cochrane, Jaime Huckins, Ari Kushner, Seth Moser
Fiscal Sponsorship
The Telos Foundation
Web Design
Human Agency
