The New York Times Magazine - 18.08.2019

$39.5 million
The amount Fund II has spent on
cultural preservation

$24 million
The amount Fund II has awarded in music
& arts appreciation grants

$16.52 million
The amount Fund II has spent on career
readiness

$89.81 million
The amount Fund II has awarded in grants
on education and scholarships

1.2 million
The number of people in the U.S.
touched by Fund II grants and programs

$241 million
The amount of grants awarded by Fund II

PAID FOR AND POSTED BY

FUND II FOUNDATION

This is not only the right thing to do but also smart, says Linda

Wilson, the executive director of Fund II Foundation. A recent

national economics poll determined that black and brown Ameri-

cans hold a combined buying power of $2.8 trillion, and of those

spenders, half in each group are under 35. “They are the future and

the most untapped talent force of our nation,” says Ivana Jackson,

the internX program manager.

Started in 2018, internX has a goal of placing 1,000 interns this

year and 10,000 in 2020. But Fund II’s commitment to young people

of color doesn’t stop with STEM careers; its attention to music, art

and environmental education is every bit as strong. “Music and art

provide balance to young people,” Wilson says, “instilling a sense of

peace while increasing aptitude.”

Restoration Retreat

In 2018, Fund II developed yet another signature program, one that

allows young people to commune with nature, while also “providing

much needed respite to heal and inspire,” Wilson says. For its inau-

gural event, Restoration Retreat hosted 35 boys of color from tough

circumstances on a retreat to the Colorado Rocky Mountains. They

received life-skills coaching, financial literacy and entrepreneurial

training, as well as instruction in mentorship, yoga and meditation.

They also pursued outdoor adventures like archery, fly fishing,

hiking and horseback riding.

This year’s event included a separate retreat for girls. They each

Programs like Restoration Retreat create inspiring scenes that Fund

II leaders intend to replicate nationwide: children of color participating

and excelling in careers, stewardship and life. “We at Fund II are

committed to ensuring African Americans prosper through scientific,

political, cultural and social capital. We are proud of our grantees and

collaborators because their work pays tribute to our ancestors who are