Kindred Futures began over five years ago as a revolutionary idea nestled within Atlanta—a city often described as “too busy to hate” but consistently ranked as one of the leading cities for income inequality. Amid this paradox, Black Atlantans disproportionately bore the burden of economic exclusion, with stark disparities in financial security and mobility. In Atlanta, a child born into poverty has only a 4% chance of escaping it in their lifetime, and households of color fare worse than White households across every measure of financial well-being.

It was through this pain—and with immense hope—that Dr. Janelle Williams and Tené Traylor co-founded the organization, then known as the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative, now Kindred Futures. As two Black women working in philanthropy, they sought to reimagine the role of funders in addressing racial and economic injustice, leveraging their shared values, trust, and love to build something transformative.

Their collaboration was born out of mutual respect and complementary strengths. Dr. Williams, with her extensive expertise in economic justice and systemic change, and Ms. Traylor, a native Atlantan with deep knowledge of the region and its players, built a partnership rooted in love, courage, and joy. This partnership became the cultural blueprint and DNA of Kindred Futures. As they document in their Black Wealth Unlocked series, their journey reflects an unwavering commitment to stand in solidarity for Black liberation and racial equity.

From the outset, Kindred Futures took a data-informed approach, commissioning research to illuminate the staggering economic disparities within Atlanta. For example, despite Atlanta’s reputation as a Black business hub, 96% of Black-owned businesses are solopreneurs, generating an average revenue of $56,000 compared to over $650,000 for White-owned businesses. These insights catalyzed action, prompting the co-founders to convene a multi-sector community of practice to identify strategies for closing these gaps. The resulting charge from the community was clear: create a race-explicit organization dedicated to economic justice.

Listening to the wisdom of stakeholders and strategizing with investors, Kindred Futures emerged as a bold response to Atlanta’s racial wealth divide. Its mission is to advance racial equity and build sustainable, community-rooted economic power for Black Atlantans and beyond. Through initiatives like the Black Community Wealth Network, partnerships with HBCUs, and strategic investments in alternative ownership models, the organization has become a transformative force for systems change.

Today, Kindred Futures’ work is more urgent than ever. In 2022, the wealth gap between White and Black Atlantans was an astonishing 46:1. While Atlanta is celebrated as a “Black Mecca,” this stark disparity underscores a troubling truth: if economic inequity persists in a city of such Black cultural and economic significance, what does this mean for the over 40 million Black Americans nationwide? With projections that the U.S. will be majority people of color by 2040, the stakes are clear—addressing racial economic disparities is not only a moral imperative but a necessary foundation for the nation’s economic future.

Kindred Futures stands firm in its belief that bold and daring solutions can create a new reality—one rooted in love, solidarity, and economic justice. Together, with community partners, funders, and stakeholders, the organization envisions a future where economic equity is not an aspiration but a lived reality for Black communities across the South and beyond.