Black Prosperity Initiative

About the Initiative

Conscious Homestead and The Root Social Justice Center are proud to announce the Black Prosperity Initiative. This initiative is a Direct Cash Transfer designed to promote economic stability, prevent houselessness, and provide financial assistance during humanitarian crises. Our initiative will provide monthly stipends to 20 Black Vermont residents across the state to help cover housing costs.

Conscious Homestead and The Root Social Justice Center were provided $133,600 each ($100,000 for distribution, $33,600 for administrative costs) to create an initiative where these funds would go directly into the hands of Black Vermont residents. This initiative is a continuation of a repeated call by Black folks across the nation for wealth redistribution from white folks and a call for reparations from the U.S. government.

The Black Prosperity Initiative will provide 20 Black Vermont residents with a total of $10,000 given in monthly increments over the course of a year to be used towards housing costs. All Black folks who live in Vermont qualify for this initiative, however those who live at the most intersections of oppression will be prioritized. The goal of this initiative is to not only provide Black Vermont residents with financial assistance to ease the burden of rising housing costs in Vermont, but also to aid in the case for reparations that are owed to Black Americans. We aim to collect quantitative and qualitative data over the course of the initiative from participants to support this case. This data will use the Social Determinants of Health as a baseline to prove how quality of life can be improved with the implementation of a universal basic income and reparations for Black folks in America. During the duration of the initiative, we also hope to raise additional funds to continue this program and we hope this data will inspire white folks across the state and country to consider ways that they can redistribute their wealth.

To learn more about the Black Prosperity Initiative read our full in depth press release here.

Please stay tuned on how you can support the continuation of the Black Prosperity Initiative.

FAQs

  • Applications will launch in April. Keep an eye out for an exact date coming soon!

  • Recipients will receive a total sum of $10,000 given out in increments monthly over the course of a year (about $800+ per month).

  • You must be a Black Vermont resident who is 18 years or older with plans to stay in Vermont and is not receiving Social or Supplemental Security Income. Those living at the most intersections of historical oppression will be prioritized.

    If you receive SSI and apply, you may lose your benefits.

    All applicants will be considered. Race is not the only determining factor for the distribution of funds.

  • Applications for the program will launch in April. The application review period and interviews will be conducted starting in May. Recipients will receive funds from the program for one year, from June 19, 2025 to June 19, 2026

  • We will be actively fundraising to continue this project pass the year we currently have funded. If you are interested in donating to help continue this work, keep an eye out on how to support.

    Please share this project with your communities!

Any other questions? Reach out to:

blackprosperityvt@gmail.com