WMG SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND DOLES OUT GRANTS

The Black Cultural Archives, Black Futures Lab and Rhythm & Blues Foundation are among the six initial recipients of grants from the Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund.

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, REFORM Alliance and Howard University will also receive grants.

Established in June 2020 to invest $100m in organizations focused on achieving social justice, the fund serves as an acknowledgement of the contributions Black culture has made to the profitability of today’s music industry.

“We have been intentional in structuring the fund as a separate legal entity to support organizations that are on the front lines of advancing equity and justice for all people,” said Camille Hackney, President of the WMG/BFF SJF and Head of the Global Brand Partnerships Council at Warner Music Group. “Our fund intends to not only work to effect structural change through our contributions but also support Black-owned and Black-led businesses as a core way of operating.”

The fund has chosen OneUnited Bank—the largest Black-owned bank in the U.S.—as its banking partner and Moore Impact—a division of the Black-woman-owned start-up Moore Philanthropy, led by Yvonne L. Moore—as its fiscal sponsor. Moore will play a key role in the distribution of funds.

Howard University will receive a multimillion-dollar grant over the course of five years for a new music-business center at the Howard University School of Business. It will provide curriculum development, internship opportunities, executive-in-residence and certification programs and a new recording studio.

The grant to the Rhythm & Blues Foundation will support financial and medical assistance to legacy R&B artists, many of whom have been confronted by unprecedented economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.