Champions of Change is a one-year leadership and design program of United Way of Greater Cincinnati (UWGC). As a part of our Black-Led Social Change initiative, it brings together community leaders with diverse backgrounds, skills and perspectives who are driven to imagine and bring to life solutions to the problems most impacting the Black community of Greater Cincinnati.

The first class of Champions came together in 2019 to design the Black Empowerment Works grant program. In its first four cycles, Black Empowerment Works funded more than 130 Black-led projects. The program has illuminated an ecosystem of Black-led organizations interested in building connections and strengthening the position of Black leaders to drive change at scale. We would like to build upon this work by evolving our investment in Black-led work in Greater Cincinnati beyond funding to intentionally foster a connected ecosystem of Black-led changemakers positioned to drive collaborative improvement in the Black community. 

Champions will participate in a series of liberatory leadership and design experiences. They will learn alongside grassroots leaders, systems-change leaders and other experts, build knowledge and skills to facilitate collective action, and use their collective power to design and test collaborative solutions to problems disproportionately affecting the Black community.

July 1, 2024 update: The 2024-2025 application for Champions of Change is now closed.

It is still critical for us to directly fund Black-led grassroots projects through the Black Empowerment Works grant program; it addresses the underinvestment in solutions and ideas led by Black/African-American people and rooted in communities. However, many of these projects or organizations are not positioned or resourced to change the root causes or community conditions holding racial inequities in place. With Champions, we see an opportunity to support a strong ecosystem and leverage the power of those closest to the problems so they can participate in United Way’s efforts to solve them.

For more details, read our Black-Led Social Change case studies and reports here.

We’re looking for people who:

• Are looking to bring their whole selves to the work – experiences, skills, passions, etc.
• Bring their own perspective to the table and can also respect and value others.
• Are open to challenging themselves and their assumptions.
• Believe that while change doesn’t happen overnight, there’s plenty we can do to build a better future today.
• Are creative problem-solvers and see opportunities where others might only see roadblocks.
• Want to get their hands dirty and don’t back down from tough issues.

We’re looking for ... Weavers. Experimenters. Frontline responders. Visionaries. Builders. Caregivers. Healers. Disrupters. Storytellers. Guides.

We believe that Champions come from all walks of life and represent diversity in age, gender, income, education level, life experiences, abilities and more.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Network with similarly passionate members of the community.
• Learn from and provide support to changemakers in the community.
• Provide leadership to UWGC on future efforts around community engagement and impact.
• Build relationships and connections to UWGC.

• Champions can expect to spend about eight hours per month on this project in a mix of group sessions, meetings and work time.
• Champions will receive a $2,500 stipend for their participation.
• Specific meeting times will be set based on the schedules of selected participants, except for the initial leadership retreat experience July 30-Aug. 2 (participation is mandatory). If you are interested in applying, please block off this time on your calendar.
• UWGC is committed to addressing barriers to individual participation, i.e. missed pay, transportation, child care, etc. If you feel like this opportunity aligns well with your passions and skills, we urge you to apply and reach out to us with any concerns or questions.

• June 14 – Application opens.
• June 26 – Virtual information session via Zoom, 6-7:30 p.m. — add to calendar or join now
• June 30 – Application closes.
• July 8 – Finalists selected.
• July 9-11 – Phone conversations with finalists.
• July 12 – Champions of Change 2024 participants selected.
• July 30-Aug. 2 – Champions of Change retreat (first meeting).
• August 2024-July 2025 – Monthly group sessions and meetings.
• August 2025 – Celebration and conclusion of project.

For more information, email [email protected] or call at 513-762-7200. To apply via mobile phone, text “Champion” to 51555.

Champions of Change is a project of:

Sponsored by: