Black Futures Lab

We founded Black Futures Lab in 2018 as a think tank. Our goal is to help Black communities build independent political power.

We combine strategies to envision alternatives and build political power at local, state, and national levels. We engage Black communities civically by educating, activating, and motivating Black voters long-term, building their political capacity. We also invest in and build the capacity of Black organizing infrastructure.

Our aim is to close the gap between communities and the tools needed to build power. We do this by collecting and using data to empower Black voters to shape policies that affect their lives.

Our initiatives include the Black Census Project, the largest national survey of Black people in America in 157 years. It has engaged over 200,000 participants to gather their experiences and desired solutions. We also run the Black to the Future Public Policy Institute, a fellowship that trains community leaders in policy advocacy. It equips them with tools to build independent Black political power at local, state, and federal levels.

We also work with a team of advisors and thought partners to shape our strategies. Alicia Garza founded Black Futures Lab.

Our mission is to transform Black communities into constituencies that change how power operates at local, statewide, and national levels. Our strategy is to make Black communities powerful in politics.

We believe collective Black power is key to improving communities and lives, and that building this power must start from within Black communities. Black people deserve a government that represents them, policies that improve their lives, and politics that reflect their lives.

We aim for a future where Black people make decisions on their own behalf, are represented by officials who prioritize their interests, and where communities are actively engaged, enabling Black people to thrive. We help build, amplify, and direct Black political power.

Black Futures Lab has between 11 and 50 employees.

It functions as an innovation and experimentation lab, focusing on new methods for civic engagement within Black communities and building their political capacity. Its approach emphasizes imagination, experimentation, and developing political power.

It collaborates with Black people, Black elected officials, and Black community-based organizations to achieve its objectives.