Featured project

https://www.bvmcapacitybuilding.org/
Black Voters Matter goal is to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. Effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny. We agree with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said, “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
We seek to achieve our goals with the following 5 core beliefs in mind:

• The key to effective civic engagement and community power is understanding, respecting and supporting local infrastructure.
• Black Voters Matter not only on election day, but on the 364 days between election days as well. This means we must support individuals and organizations that are striving to obtain social justice throughout the year.
• Black Voters Matter *everywhere*, including rural counties and smaller cities/towns that are often ignored by candidates, elected officials, political parties and the media.
• In order for Black voters to matter, we must utilize authentic messaging which speaks to our issues, connects with our hopes and affirms our humanity.
• The leadership, talent and commitment demonstrated by Black women in particular must receive recognition and, more importantly, *investment* in order to flourish and multiply.

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At Pennywise, we recognize that support comes in many forms and offer a variety of services for our grantees and project partners.

We make grants
Pennywise discovers exceptional nonprofits that are not only doing amazing things, but are also doing them in ways that are innovative and sustainable. We work to build relationships with these organizations through regular communication, site visits and mutual information sharing. We offer relatively modest grants but strive to make them recurring so that our partners come to know we’ll be with them long term.

We Offer Technical Assistance
Pennywise is all about making the connections that will make change happen. We help nonprofit organizations enter into partnerships that will deepen the impact of their work. We recognize that some of the freshest, most exciting ideas about how to tackle tough problems come from new and developing organizations so we help launch innovative projects and strengthen organizational infrastructures. We make introductions, facilitate engagement, and oversee project development from planning thru evaluation.