Racial Equity 2030

Investing $90 million to fund bold solutions that will create a more equitable future for children around the globe

Re-envisioning a national education system. Protecting Indigenous sovereignty. Shaping environmental law. Ending youth incarceration. Following the leadership of youth to heal from community violence.

These kinds of bold visions captured our attention during the Racial Equity 2030 Challenge, launched in 2020 in honor of our 90th anniversary. At that time, we committed $90 million to fuel innovative, actionable and scalable solutions to build a more racially equitable future.

2020

Our challenge attracted

1,400

bold
ideas

from 72 countries

2021

10 finalists awarded

$1M

each for planning and capacity-building support

2022

Five awardees named to receive a combined

$80M

until 2030

Why Racial Equity Matters Around the Globe

When a child comes into the world, they bring hope, unique gifts and the potential to contribute something new to collective well-being. Their skin color, country of origin or the language they speak should not predict whether they get to see that potential grow.

Yet too many children, families and communities around the world are hindered by racism, castes and other forms of systemic injustice.

For decades, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has worked alongside communities and grantees to advance racial equity and racial healing. This work is powered by authentic community engagement and leadership development.
What we’ve learned: The same types of systems and beliefs hold children back in country after country.

Following George Floyd’s murder – in the midst of a global pandemic that highlighted vast racial inequities – calls for justice encircled the globe. This showed us that people yearn for change everywhere. The systems that perpetuate injustices are not new to the communities most impacted by them, they’ve been generations in the making.

Achieving racial equity is generations in the making, too. Racial Equity 2030 is a chance to reimagine and build a future where racial equity is realized.

“Racial Equity 2030 is an opportunity for communities to reconstruct the systems and institutions that perpetuate inequities. This is our nation’s, and our world’s, greatest unfinished business. Now is our moment to reimagine what the future can be for our children.”

La June Montgomery Tabron

President and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Meet the Awardees

The transformational work of our five Racial Equity 2030 awardees reflects the complexity of achieving racial equity. It also demonstrates the structural changes that are needed to sustain meaningful, long-term change. They’re each promoting access to economic opportunity, education, improved governance and justice and social well-being. We’re honored to work alongside each of these dynamic organizations to help them scale their bold ideas.

ActionAid International

Building an anti-racist education system in Brazil

More Info

Communities United

A healing-through-justice model to help Chicago youth and communities heal

More Info

Indian Law Resource Center

Securing Indigenous land ownership in Mexico and Central and South America

More Info

Partners in Development Foundation

A Native-led model to end youth incarceration in Hawaii and beyond

More Info

Namati

An effort to overcome environmental racism by knowing, using and shaping the law in
Kenya, Sierra Leone and the U.S.

More Info

Meet Our Team

Javon Dobbs

Communications Officer

Director, Office of the President – Special Initiatives

Carla Thompson Payton

Chief Strategist & Impact Officer

Frequently Asked Questions About the Challenge

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Why did the W.K. Kellogg Foundation launch this challenge? Why $90 million?

Racism is the primary challenge of our time, across the globe. With decades committed to advancing racial equity and racial healing since the 1940s, we wanted to mark our 90th anniversary with a bold pledge. So we committed $90 million to the most innovative approaches to tackling this challenge

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What is the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s history in racial equity work?

1940s – Racial equity funding first appeared in the foundation’s grantmaking.

1990s – WKKF established an internal Diversity Advisory Committee and began intentionally integrating diversity as a priority in grantmaking.

2007 – The W.K. Kellogg Foundation formally committed to being an anti-racist organization that promotes racial equity and racial healing, shaping both our funding and operational practices.

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Why by the year 2030?

This is about innovation and taking the time to let change happen. Longer-term funding affirms our belief in each partner and the work of transformational change.

The timing for this challenge also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly, intended to be achieved by 2030. And in 2030, WKKF will celebrate our centennial year.

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What types of organizations were eligible to apply?

Racial Equity 2030 was open to all organizations led by teams with lived experiences and firsthand proximity to the issues.

From the outset of the challenge, we prioritized outreach to communities of color, Indigenous communities, community-based organizations and looked beyond our existing networks.

We encouraged all organizations to submit their bold thinking on how to achieve racial equity in their specific context.

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How rigorous was the process of choosing five awardees?

We received 1,453 submissions from 72 countries. Peer applicants and experts around the world evaluated all proposals. Evaluations were based on four criteria: proposals that were game-changing, equitable, bold and achievable.

We named 10 finalists in September 2021. Each received a $1 million planning grant and nine months of capacity-building support. After a meticulous review process, we chose our five long-term awardees.