Many Voices, One Movement: Celebrating Black Philanthropy in Fairfield County

For the second year in a row, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s Celebration of Black Philanthropy was a sold-out affair.

On August 4, nearly 200 people filled CoCreate Stamford for an evening rooted in celebration: of Black generosity, Black leadership, Black-led organizations, and the extraordinary things that become possible when people choose to invest in their community together.

But perhaps the most powerful thing we celebrated wasn’t something that happened that evening. It was something that has been growing all year.

Community Coming Together

One year ago, many of us gathered in that same room to publicly launch The SOUL Fund, a community-led giving circle created to strengthen Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits throughout Fairfield County.

As FCCF President & CEO Mendi Blue Paca reflected during the evening, the people who would become this community were already here. So was their generosity. So was their commitment. What was needed was a place for them to find one another.

Strengthening our community requires more than funding good organizations or developing good programs. It requires creating opportunities for people to find one another, build relationships and trust, learn together, and discover what they can accomplish together.

Over its first year, The SOUL Fund began putting those ideas into practice.

Its 114 members didn’t simply make donations and wait to learn where the money went. They gathered throughout the year to meet one another and learn directly from Black nonprofit leaders. Some found new opportunities to volunteer; one member even joined the board of an organization they encountered through the Fund.

Members pooled their resources. They learned together. And ultimately, they decided together. At the Fund’s inaugural Annual Meeting in May, members awarded $48,000 in grants to three Black-led organizations: My Architecture Workshops, ConnectUs Inc. and House of Darla.

It is philanthropy, certainly. But it is also community building.

Honoring the Soul of Philanthropy

That expansive understanding of philanthropy was embodied by the person at the center of the August 4 celebration: Dr. Maggie Young, recipient of the 2026 Soul of Philanthropy Award.

In introducing Maggie, Mary Valdovinos described a leader whose philanthropy is expressed through the way she lives. “She gives time without keeping score, she gives wisdom without judgment. She creates space for people to believe in themselves.”

Maggie’s own remarks traced that spirit back to the people who had invested in her. Someone shared their wisdom. Someone told her the truth when she needed it. Someone believed in her before she had learned to believe in herself. Those investments, Maggie reflected, helped shape not only what she does, but who she has chosen to become.

Her story offered a powerful reminder of how philanthropy moves through a community: someone invests in us, and we become capable of investing in someone else.

Every One of Us Has Something to Give

Maggie ended her remarks not simply by reflecting on philanthropy, but by inviting everyone gathered to practice it. “Every one of us has something to give. Please don’t ever sell your gift short,” Maggie told the room, before reminding us that every investment in another person creates possibilities none of us can create alone.

And then she issued a challenge: “Join me and become a member of The SOUL Fund.” No matter your racial identity, Maggie continued, if you believe in strengthening Black-led and Black-serving organizations in Fairfield County, “there is a place for you in this work.”

There’s Room for You in the Circle

The SOUL Fund began just two years ago with a small gathering around a table. Nine people committed to working together to build the framework for a giving circle supporting Black-led nonprofits in Fairfield County.

A year later, the Fund launched publicly. By the end of its first year, the circle had grown to 114 members.

Our goal is to grow to 150 members, allowing The SOUL Fund to increase its grantmaking and deepen its investment in Black-led organizations across Fairfield County.

Membership begins with an annual contribution of $365; just $1 per day. But joining means more than making a donation. Members connect and learn together throughout the year, help determine the focus of the Fund, and ultimately vote to decide where the community’s pooled resources will be invested.

More than 70 have already said yes by joining or renewing their membership to The SOUL Fund’s 2026-2027 program year.

There’s room for you in the circle. Join or renew your SOUL Fund membership today.