Support the UW Seattle Black Opportunity Fund
The Black Opportunity Fund (BOF) supports projects that amplify, preserve, and advance Black community life, culture, and experience. Funded projects should contribute to greater public understanding, engagement, and investment in Black cultural expression and contributions to the university community.
The fund is open to all UW Seattle students, staff, and faculty, regardless of race, ethnicity, or identity, who are seeking to amplify and enhance Black culture and experience.
UW Seattle Black Opportunity Fund | History
With generous donations from donors, the University of Washington created the Black Opportunity Fund (BOF) in 2020 after months of Black student led organizing and activism across campus and in the greater Seattle area following the wave of killings of Black people (George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and others). The BOF is a result of many conversations the Black Student Union and faculty had with university leadership regarding how to create a more sustaining space on campus for the Black community. The BOF is administered through the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity.
BOF recognizes this work takes place on Coast Salish homelands, and understands the separate and connected histories and ongoing legacies of land theft, genocide, and enslavement. We are committed to honoring the peoples and lands of this place as we consider funding proposals.
UW Seattle Black Opportunity Fund | Areas of Focus
Applicants must demonstrate their project or activity:
The project meaningfully engages Black cultural practices, traditions, histories, or contemporary experiences. Black culture may include, but is not limited to, arts, education, storytelling, wellness, and place-based education and engagement.
The project or activity is accessible to and beneficial to a broader community (e.g., educational resources, cultural preservation, community building). Projects and activities should avoid extractive or solely performative engagement.
Applicants must demonstrate cultural awareness, respect, and accountability in how Black culture and experiences are represented.
The project or activity has clear goals, a realistic timeline, and a viable plan for implementation. Applicants must show capacity to complete the project or activity within the funded period.
The project or activity is open to all who would like to participate.
Application Information
Project Scope & Reporting
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Proposals are accepted from all interested students, faculty, and staff at the University of Washington Seattle.
- Projects must be completed by January 31, 2027. Projects that request completion dates after, will be given special consideration.
- Recipients will submit a project/activity summary within 60 days of the project/activity conclusion that 1) lists/shows activities supported, 2) evaluates project/activity outcomes, and 3) accounts for project funds.
Application Timeline
Information Sessions
Information session are to provide prospective applicants with support and guidance on the application questions and the application process. Facilitators of the information sessions are not able to assist in the completion of the application and may not be able to provide answers about the merits of individual applications.
Registration:
Required Application Components
Proposals may be submitted for up to $10,000. Proposals in excess of the amount will be considered on a case by case basis.
- Project description and goals. If funded, this may be used for fundraising and promotional purposes [max 250 words].
- Statement of how the project or activity will amplify, preserve, or advance Black culture or experience [max 250 words].
- Timeline and detailed budget proposal with a description of any matching funds and/or any additional funds supporting the project or activity.
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by the UW Seattle Black Opportunity Fund Committee, which is comprised of University of Washington students, staff and faculty. Proposals will be assessed on their alignment with the UW Seattle BOF eligibility requirements.
Note: Eligibility and selection will be based on the focus and impact of the project or activity, not the identity of the applicant.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Each UW campus has set up their own individual funds that are intended to serve the unique needs that students, faculty and staff on respective campuses may have. For more information about the Black Opportunity Funds for UW Bothell and UW Tacoma, please contact those campuses directly.
UW Bothell: For more information about the UW Bothell Black Opportunity Fund visit https://www.uwb.edu/diversity/scholarships/black-opportunity-scholarship
UW Tacoma: Administration of applications to the UW Tacoma Black Opportunity Fund are managed by the Center for Equity & Inclusion. https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/Blackopportunityfund | | uwtcei@uw.edu| (253) 692-4744
This will depend on the number of applications received and the dollar amount requested on each application.
No, applications will be reviewed based on the dollar amount requested and the proposed project.
In most cases students will receive a direct payment. In general, staff and faculty will receive funds through a budget transfer (preferably to a discretionary budget number)
This question is applicable to all.
Yes, we encourage award recipients to submit their project summary as soon as possible following project completion.
Yes, two or more people can be on an application for one project.
Past Projects and Activities | Examples
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- UW Seattle Black Student Union applied for funds to host a community-oriented speaker series and to create a space where Blackness is recognized and validated. This speaker series was open to all, and covered a broad variety of topics including socioeconomic justice and abolition, environmental and healthcare disparities, allyship, and the impact of Black culture.
- Gardening Under a Microscope is a collaborative project with Basilica Bio and Black Star Farmers to transform the Garfield Community Center Garden into an organic food hub for the local community and a series of interactive educational presentations on historical policies, environmental hazards, and solutions. This project links community-based education, mentorship, and meaningful action in the community in an innovative and original way.
Questions may be emailed to BOFUWS@UW.edu.