Fearless Fund's Grant Program for Black Women Held Back by Court

A grant program which was initiated in order to aid businesses of black women has been held back. According to a court order, the grant is possibly violating the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Fearless Fund’s foundation, a venture capitalist firm has issued the Strivers Grant.

It was designed to assist Black women owned businesses. During the month of August 2023, American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) challenged the program, stating it discriminated against non-Black women’s businesses, as per Tech Crunch.

In addition, Edward Blum, founder of AAER overturned university affirmative action. The grant has been stopped (temporarily) from distribution in October 2023 even after the commitment by Fearless Fund for fighting the lawsuit.

Lawyer of the fund and Global Black Economic Forum’s President, Alphonso David stated, “As the dissenting judge pointed out, the discrimination in access to funding that Fearless Foundation seeks to address is long-standing and irrefutable. This is the first court decision in the 150-plus year history of the post-Civil War civil rights law that has halted private charitable support for any racial or ethnic group.”

Moreover, CEO Arian Simone added, “America is supposed to be a nation where one has the freedom to achieve, the freedom to earn, and the freedom to prosper. Yet, when we have attempted to level the playing field for underrepresented groups, our freedoms were stifled. We must keep up this fight for the next generation of girls who deserve to grow up in an America that lets them realize their dreams instead of outlawing them.”