Mission
AQUME Foundation will center economic justice and racial equity in philanthropy.
Vision
AQUME Foundation will be an innovative, sustainable, and trusted philanthropic steward of resources for the advancement of BIPOC communities throughout Michigan.
VALUES
Equity
Equity recognizes that advantages and barriers exist, and that, as a result, we all don’t start from the same place when striving to achieve positive life outcomes and continues to correct and address the imbalance. This is measured by outcomes disaggregated by demographics and change in policy.
AQUME Foundation is committed to using our influence to promote equity within the community to benefit communities of color by leading with both racial justice and economic equity in all that we do.
Financial Investment
In our nation, intergenerational wealth has been a luxury only few people of
color have been able to attain due to systemic racism and limited access to the
social, political and professional networks where wealth resides. Our goal is to
provide tools that will grant communities of color access to these networks and
change their relationship to wealth for generations to come. AQUME Foundation will invest in our BIPOC communities on a meaningful scale.
Accountability
AQUME Foundation rejects the notion of inferiority that is far too often placed on communities of color. Out mantra is to “Operate in Excellence!” Excellence is not perfection. Excellence is a journey through an ever-changing landscape of possibilities and opportunities.
AQUME Foundation knows that excellence in serving our community is essential and will operate our organization with the highest degree of integrity and transparency.
Community Transformation
A process that fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for
use in their own lives, their communities, and in their society, by acting on their own authority in relation to issues important to them. AQUME Foundation works to empower communities of color with financial knowledge, services and support.
Far too often the financial system has been a tool of oppression instead of an instrument of empowerment. We will use our grant making to place power and resources into the hands of the BIPOC community.