Advocacy
From Community Experience to Systems
OUR POSITION
Advocacy Is Core to Our Mission
Black Buildup’s advocacy work is rooted in a simple truth: lasting community impact requires systems to change, not just individuals to adapt.
While programs strengthen capacity at the individual and organizational level, advocacy ensures that policies, funding models, and institutional practices evolve to reflect the realities and aspirations of Black and racialized communities.
Our advocacy bridges lived experience with institutional decision-making—ensuring community voices are not symbolic, but influential.
WHY ADVOCACY MATTERS
Beyond Access Toward Equity
For many Black entrepreneurs, professionals, youth, and community organizations, barriers are not the result of lack of talent or effort. They are structural—embedded in:
- Funding eligibility criteria
- Procurement systems
- Governance and Leadership pipelines
- Policy design processes
- Data gaps and representation failures
Without advocacy, these systems continue to reproduce exclusion—even when support programs exist.
Black Buildup engages advocacy to shift the conditions, not just treat the symptoms.
OUR ADVOCACY FOCUS AREAS
1. Equitable Access to Funding & Capital
We advocate for funding frameworks that recognize the realities of Black-led and community-based organizations, including:
• Fair eligibility criteria
• Culturally responsive assessment models
• Multi-year and capacity-building funding
• Improved access to grants, loans, and blended finance
2. Inclusive Procurement & Market Access
We work to advance supplier diversity and fair procurement practices by engaging institutions on:
• Access to government and corporate procurement opportunities
• Removal of unnecessary barriers to entry
• Transparency in procurement processes
• Recognition of Black-led enterprises as strategic suppliers
3. Representation in Leadership & Decision-Making
True equity requires representation where decisions are made.
We advocate for:
• Black representation on boards, advisory councils, and leadership tables
• Inclusive leadership pipelines across public and private sectors
• Recognition of lived experience as expertise
4. Youth, Education & Intergenerational Equity
Our advocacy includes ensuring Black youth and families have equitable access to education, leadership development, and long-term economic security.
This includes:
• Education savings access (e.g., Canada Learning Bond)
• Youth leadership pathways
• Violence prevention and community safety initiatives
HOW WE ADVOCATE
Community-Grounded, Institution-Facing
Black Buildup’s advocacy model is built on credibility, trust, and collaboration.
Community Consultation & Listening
Research & Evidence-Informed Advocacy
Coalition & Partnership Building
We collaborate with community organizations, business networks, and institutional partners to amplify impact and avoid duplication.
Institutional Engagement
We engage directly with:
- Government departments
- Financial institutions
- Funders and foundations
- Corporate and public-sector leaders
Our approach is constructive, solutions-oriented, and accountable.
ADVOCACY IN PRACTICE
From Insight to Influence
Black Buildup’s advocacy is not abstract. It is embedded across our programs and partnerships:
- Informing funding conversations through program outcomes
- Supporting institutional partners to improve equity practices
- Amplifying Black voices in policy and economic development spaces
- Aligning community priorities with decision-making frameworks
This ensures advocacy is integrated, not isolated.
OUR COMMITMENT
Accountability, Integrity, and Impact
We approach advocacy with:
- Integrity and evidence
- Respect for institutional processes
- Accountability to the communities we serve
Our goal is not confrontation for its own sake, but constructive transformation—creating systems that are fairer, more inclusive, and more effective.
INVITATION TO COLLABORATE
Build Systems That Work for Everyone
Advocacy is most effective when done in partnership.
We welcome collaboration with:
- Governments
- Financial institutions
- Funders and foundations
- Employers and industry leaders
- Community and sector coalitions