Black Equity Movement Committee End of Year Message 2025

By Jackie Murphy

Young Black child sitting on the shoulders of a Black adult in the middle of a crowd

Dear Community Partners,

Thank you for your continued work for Oregon’s Black communities. When Collins started the Black Equity Movement Committee (BEM) in 2020, the country was in a place of strife and division. Unfortunately, 2025 finds us in a more dire predicament: the organized attempt to dismantle democracy. Our democracy is deeply flawed. It doesn’t live up to the stated principles of freedom and justice for all. What is also true is that the great leaps made for freedom and justice in the United States have been led by Black people. History tells us and has shown us that a better future is possible. 

What BEM does may not change the world, but we can help transform the experiences of Black people and communities across the state. There is a lot of work to be done. Thanks to continued communications with you, we have been inspired to think broadly about what we can do to be more responsive and responsible philanthropic partners. 

Over the last two years, we researched and developed a pilot sabbatical project for Black leaders in Black-serving and/or Black-led nonprofit organizations. The pilot is an opportunity to recognize and honor the experiences of Black leaders who have committed to community-centered work. An organization’s executive director (ED) will get eight weeks of paid rest and rejuvenation. The acting ED and organization will receive capacity-building and organizational development support that will serve the organization for the long term. The sabbatical pilot project is scheduled to be launched with a partner nonprofit organization in 2026, with the intention of scaling the sabbatical into a permanent funding program. 

In 2025, BEM awarded $2,189,000 to 79 organizations across the state. We continue to develop relationships with community-based organizations, extending beyond funding opportunities, to support the ongoing work of sustainable change.

With Gratitude, 

The Collins Foundation Black Equity Movement Committee

Kimberlee Pierce Sheng, Committee Chair, Trustee

Ryan Luria, Trustee

Jackie Murphy, Chief Programs Strategist

Tonisha A.Toler, Community Resource Strategist