Black women in nonprofit leadership are hitting a crisis and leaving their roles.

Black women leaders in nonprofits are leaving the sector, but a group in Washington, D.C. is working to change that.

Black women in nonprofit leadership are at a “crisis point” and are leaving the sector as conditions worsen, according to founders.

In recent years, more Black women have been stepping away from the organizations they started as the challenges become too much to bear. Private discussions highlight frustrations with increased reporting demands from funders, lower pay compared to similar-sized organizations, constant questioning of their leadership, and frequent microaggressions.

Amid the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising backlash against DEI initiatives, and economic uncertainty, Black women leaders are grappling with a tough set of challenges. As a result, many are stepping down from roles in a sector that employs thousands, serves countless people, and manages the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We started noticing more Black women leaders struggling with their boards,” Indira Henard, a veteran nonprofit leader in D.C., shared with the Washington Business Journal. “Black women leaders were leaving their organizations—sometimes by choice, sometimes not—and often not in good circumstances. There was also a noticeable lack of support for these leaders, not just from their boards but from funders and the broader community.”

Henard hit her breaking point two years ago during a Leadership Greater Washington poker night. She saw too many of her fellow Black women nonprofit leaders struggling, and it weighed on her. As the executive director of the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, she reflected on the worsening situation and knew something needed to change.

“My soul was tired,” she thought to herself. “What is it going to take for the sector to wake up and understand that we’re at a crisis point with Black women leaders?” Henard teamed up with other Black women nonprofit leaders to find a solution. They initiated plans to commission a report examining the landscape for Black women in leadership and identifying the resources needed to address the challenges. As the project expanded, they transitioned the initiative to the Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

The group’s work resulted in the 40-page “Thrive as They Lead” report, published by the Washington Area Women’s Foundation in 2023. The D.C. firm conducted nearly 40 interviews with Black women and Black gender-expansive executive directors, CEOs, and presidents in the nonprofit sector across the region.

Ninety percent of respondents said their work had harmed their health and well-being. Seventy percent agreed or strongly agreed that Black women in leadership had been under attack in recent years. Half struggled to meet their families’ financial needs, with a quarter strongly agreeing. Only 19% believed the region was a place where Black women leaders could thrive.

The report highlighted what many Black women nonprofit leaders and their supporters already understood, but having formal documentation could be key to changing the narrative. It offered actionable solutions for the nonprofit sector to ensure better support for leadership.

The Women’s Foundation is now working to put the report’s recommendations into action and is actively raising funds to support the initiative. Their goal is to raise between $3 million and $4 million over the next two years.

“At any given moment, I know of at least five to eight Black women leaders who are this close to saying, ‘I’m done,’” Koube Ngaaje, president and CEO of the District Alliance for Safe Housing, told the Washington Business Journal.

“If we don’t tackle the harmful systemic inequities effectively and invest significantly, we risk losing 30% to 50% of Black women leaders in the region’s nonprofit sector within the next three to five years,” Ngaaje warned. “And I can guarantee that.”