A new fund is giving $40K a year to Black Tacomans. The latest winners just got the cash
It didn’t take long for Desireé Wilkins Finch to notice who was missing. It’s a familiar feeling, she said.
Wilkins Finch is the founder of the Tacoma Black Fund, a grassroots fundraising initiative the former union organizer and political campaign manager launched in early 2024.
The motivation for the Tacoma Black Fund, Wilkins Finch explained, struck organically.
She attended an event organized by a local philanthropic group, she said, and found herself in a room full of people who had pledged to donate $100 to a deserving nonprofit.
They were all white, Wilkins Finch recalled.
“It was great. I loved it. But it was 100 well-meaning white women, and it felt a little bit like saviorism. Whenever Black people would come and present, they would win, so it also felt like tokenism,” Wilkins Finch said.
“I started talking to friends and said, ‘Hey, what if we did this and it was just for Black programs and Black people?” she continued.
“People loved the idea, so here we are. We just had our second event and handed out another round of checks. It’s been phenomenal.”
Ultimately, the Tacoma Black Fund’s goal is striking in its simplicity: Invest $40,000 each year in Tacoma’s Black community by tapping into what Wilkins Finch describes as a hidden “abundance” and the power of “love.”
In more practical terms, Wilkins Finch has sought to replicate the “100 x 100” fundraising model she witnessed in that room full of white women, attempting to wrangle 100 people willing to donate $100 a month to deserving Black businesses and programs — as chosen by members of Tacoma and Pierce County’s Black community.
Tacoma Black Fund award events are held quarterly, aiming to distribute $10,000 to recipients selected from a field of applicants, ranging from business to community services — with a specific focus on the arts, Wilkins Finch said.
In its first month, the fund raised more than $12,000, according to information it provided to The News Tribune.
Voting membership is open to descendants of enslaved Africans in America, while financial donations are welcome from anyone, Wilkins Finch said. At quarterly events, one big winner is announced, with several others receiving smaller awards.
In January, Vision Step Team, a girls empowerment and performing arts organization created by Tacoma School Board member Chelsea Nichole McElroy, took home $8,700.
The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, which manages and distributes the Tacoma Black Fund, cuts to the chase describing the effort.
“Tacoma Black Fund is designed to fund programs and services that directly benefit the descendants of enslaved Africans in America and foster and nurture Black entrepreneurship,” the GTCF’s website states, working to create “a resource for building and sustaining Black generational wealth in Tacoma.”
According to Wilkins Finch, that’s what it’s all about — as massive as it sounds.
At its core, she argued, it’s basic.
“Finding places of belonging as a Black woman in Tacoma has been hard as a transplant. There are dynamic and vibrant Black communities across the country, and Tacoma just doesn’t have that. … There is a richness of Black culture here, but where are the spaces we can convene and enjoy the vibrancy of Black excellence?” Wilkins Finch said of her inspiration.
“I wanted to create a space for Black people, by black people, where 100 Black folks can get together and give $100 and we can fund the programs, ideas and business ventures that matter to us.”
‘Not just the money’
On Monday, March 29, the Tacoma Black Fund took another step toward delivering on its objective, awarding roughly $8,000 to On Blended Knee Winery and its owners, La’Rissa and Michael Dwyer, no strings attached.
A year ago, On Blended Knee — which goes by the name OBK — released its first wine, according to La’Rissa Dwyer, a self-described “military brat” who moved to the area when her father was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Dwyer has a background in corporate retail, but jumped into winemaking with her husband roughly seven years ago, she said, shortly after the couple married.
After debuting OBK’s offerings at a handful of local wine bars and building a devoted customer base online, Dwyer started to dream big.
She’s now determined to open a Tacoma tasting room, she explained, where the winery’s fans can gather and enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Dwyer was recently encouraged to make her pitch to the Tacoma Black Fund.
Last month, she learned OBK would receive the majority of this quarter’s funding to help the winery’s goal a reality.
“It’s not just the money, it’s creating an inclusive community, where Black people feel like they can take risks and be supported because it’s not easy,” Dwyer told me a few days after OBK was celebrated as the Black Tacoma Fund’s second quarter honoree.
“There’s a lot going against us,” Dwyer said, “but it’s powerful when you walk into a room full of your people and they’re willing to do anything and everything to help you become successful.”
Dierdre Patterson, the co-creator of Concept, a Tacoma-based experiential creative agency, agrees with the assessment.
The financial support the Tacoma Black Fund offers can make a huge difference for a Black entrepreneur or community organization working to realize a dream, she said.
The sense of belonging the initiative fosters is just as valuable, Patterson suggested.
“Especially when you’re getting started, having access to capital is crucial — and even more so for Black and brown entrepreneurs who have been traditionally locked out of wealth-building opportunities,” said Patterson, who presented Concept’s vision with her business partner, Chase Williams, during the March 29 event.
Concept is preparing for a design exhibition on April 13, highlighting architecture, furniture and spatial design.
The money will help, Patterson said, but she believes the Tacoma Black Fund’s potential is much bigger than that.
“We’re bootstrapping this whole thing, so even a small grant can be critical,” Patterson told me.
“But just being able to get in a room and tell our story to folks who look like we do — and see how interested, invested and excited they are — is incomparable.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
