Empowering Leaders of Color to Advance Equity in Connecticut

Pictured above: FCCF’s Leading for Change cohort program, delivered by Five Frogs, Inc., brings together leaders of color to build social capital through group coaching, networking and peer-to-peer learning.

Leading a nonprofit is difficult work.

For many nonprofit leaders of color, the degree of difficulty is uniquely high. A 2022 survey by the Building Movement Project found that nonprofit executives of color were less likely than white leaders to receive support from peers or affinity groups and were more likely to receive inadequate compensation.

As part of its mission to create a region where every person has an equitable opportunity to thrive, FCCF’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence is partnering with equity-focused nonprofits to create peer networks, training programs, and other targeted resources for nonprofit leaders of color.

One example is Leading for Change, which brings together leaders of color to promote and leverage collaboration, collective work and shared practice. Leading for Change — delivered through a partnership with Five Frogs Inc. — brings together 10-12 participants for an eight-month program that aims to expand their awareness and knowledge of self, language, skills, and capabilities to better respond to social injustices.

“As a leader of color, I sometimes face challenges,” said Carolyn Vermont, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County and a Leading for Change participant. “It is helpful to have the opportunity to network with others who are facing similar challenges so that we can offer support and advice to each other.”

Leading for Change is part of a larger initiative to empower leaders of color. Wells Fargo is the lead funder of FCCF’s Leaders of Color Capacity Building Program, which offers an expanding menu of capacity-building workshops and networking events.

The end goal: to effectively leverage their knowledge of community and lived experience as leaders to create the change they one day hope to see.

Invest in Leadership
Learn more about the trainings, resources and support available to local organizations through FCCF’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence.
Questions? Contact CNE Manager Rebecca Cordero at RCordero@FCCFoundation.org.
FCCFoundation.org/CNE