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To the My Brother’s Keeper Family,  We hope you’ve had a safe and fulfilling start to 2022. At the MBK Alliance, we’re looking forward to a year of progress for our boys and young men of color. While we may be entering our third year of a global pandemic, our partners have continued to support the communities they serve. Our commitment is no different, and this year, we’re doubling down on our efforts to advance equity, and expand our network across the country.  Whether you’ve been a part of the MBK Network for the past few years, or you’re looking to join us for the first time, please complete our 2022 Community Registration form. This information will allow us to best distribute resources and ensure your community has access to coaching, events, and everything else our network has to offer. Please work to complete the registration form by March 1, 2022, in order to start benefiting from support from our team. We look forward to bringing our shared visions to fruition.   How is your MBK Community celebrating Black History Month? Happy Black History Month! As we venture into this time of commemorating Black achievements and the important roles of Black people in American history, we want to celebrate and highlight the work you all are doing in your communities as well.  What events do you have planned? What community efforts are you organizing? What projects are your youth completing? What conversations are you having? If possible, we would love to see pictures and videos as well. Please submit your responses here by Tuesday, March 1, at 5pm ET.   Announcing our new Executive Director Adren Wilson Will Be Joining the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance is thrilled to share that Adren Wilson will be joining us as our new executive director. Adren will bring decades of experience in the fight for equity and justice to our mission and communities across the country. Learn more about Adren and his career dedicated to serving young people.   LEARN MORE Collaboration is the Best Way Forward  Some of our most successful grantee stories come from community-to-community relationships. Beyond advancing equity by directly supporting organizations, the MBK Alliance has also established a powerful network of communities and, most importantly, people throughout the country. Learn how NACA Inspired Schools Network (NISN) is bringing Indigenous communities together in Albuquerque, and how organizations in Chicago founded Justice Rising: Project 77 , a coalition working to transform the criminal justice system. At the end of the day, each MBK community wants to see the others succeed, and lending a hand is not unfamiliar in this family.   LEARN MORE Continuing to Support MBK Grantees through Bridge Funds  Four Communities in Chicago Receive Unrestricted Funds to Build Capacity In November 2018, the MBK Alliance selected the winners of our MBK Community Challenge Competition. Over the last three years, our 19 inaugural seed and impact communities have worked to translate our investments into the lives of boys and young men of color. We have recently awarded flexible and unrestricted funds to a number of communities that have made tremendous impacts in their neighborhoods. These funds will help communities continue their vital work beyond their initial grants. All four organizations in Chicago received bridge funds. Learn more about their work below:  Build Chicago, a gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization based on the city’s West Side will be deepening their work with middle and high schoolers. They’ve added additional staff and mentors to support this group.  Lawndale Christian Legal Center, a community-based restorative justice organization that provides holistic legal services to the Lawndale community, will be expanding the Justice Rising coalition, and working to bring their services to communities across Chicago.                      Benny Estrada, New Life Center’s Director of Street Outreach New Life Centers provide gang-involved or justice-involved youth with mentoring, street outreach, violence mediation, intervention services, and street-based counseling. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve expanded their program offerings to include providing food to more than 400 families per week.    South Shore Drill Team, who uses the performing arts to engage inner-city youth throughout their critical teenage years, performed at President Biden’s inauguration a year ago. They are now implementing a three-year Sustainable Growth Plan which focuses on board and staff development, expanding fundraising efforts, and developing a digital marketing strategy.  “South Shore Drill Team embodies what happens when we invest in our youth, particularly our young men of color.”     —Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot Upcoming Sustainability Forums This March, the MBK Alliance will be hosting two interactive sustainability forums for our alumni grantee sites. These forums will bring the MBK Alliance community together to learn about the resources available to support the sustainability of their work.  We’ll share customizable tools and materials developed to assist the sustainability of alumni grantee sites, engage in community of practice to share current strategies, identify key challenges, and highlight potential solutions. Next week, be sure to look out for an email invite for each of the two sessions and a link to register to attend.      Funding Opportunities Are you an organization working in education, community + economic development, youth development, health/public health, public safety, criminal justice, or racial equity? Funding opportunities are curated weekly by a consultancy called Level Fields. Stay up to date on the latest opportunities by following them on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.   We Are Hiring! Learn more about the MBK Alliances’s open roles below and apply today to join our team. Senior Associate, Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives Senior Associate, MBK Communications Analyst, Strategy & Operations   If You Want to Stand for Something, Stand for Someone Sign up to become a mentor.   BECOME A MENTOR