January 6, 2026
Southern Black Girls Invests Over $1.2M In 2025 With Historic Black Girl Joy Challenge
The Southern Black Girls movement heads into 2026 strong, having invested over $1 million in Southern organizations and small businesses.
The Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium hit a major milestone in 2025, investing more than $1 million to support over 60 organizations and 25+ small businesses across 13 Southern states.
The Selma-based organization made $1.2 million in investments through its Black Girls Dream Fund, Innovation Fund, and Black Girls Defense Fund to support diverse organizations at a time when funding for racial and gender equity initiatives faces nationwide rollbacks, according to a press release. Adding to the milestone, Southern Black Girls awarded its 1,000th Black Girl Joy Challenge grant in 2025, a program that gives girls ages 13–24 funds to create joy in their communities.
“This year proved that even in difficult times, investing in organizations that center Black girls and women is an act of resistance, imagination, and faith in the future,” said Chanceé Lundy, executive director of Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium.
Lundy entered 2025 at full speed — her first full year as leader and a full-circle moment with Founder LaTosha Brown, who mentored her as a 14-year-old in a Selma youth program more than 30 years ago. Their intergenerational connection reflects the Consortium’s mission to invest in organizations that uplift Black girls and women.
“As this year comes to a close, I’m reminded that even when the road is rough, we are still holding on,” Lundy shared in a recent letter to supporters. “Even under pressure, we showed up, expanded our giving, and stayed intentional about meeting this moment.”
In June 2025, Southern Black Girls hosted over 1,300 Black girls and women in Atlanta for the Black Girls Dream Conference, themed ‘She Got Next.’ The two-day event featured 80 workshops on STEAM, mental health, financial empowerment, and social justice. The organization’s support for Black women entrepreneurs also paid off, with Crystal Chisholm, founder of The Oyster Journal, receiving mentorship and funding through its Dream Investment Program.
“When I first launched my app, I built it myself, but I had technical limitations,” Chisholm said. “This grant allowed me to hire a contractor to add premium features that will generate revenue for the first time. This marks our shift from building community to creating financial sustainability.”
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