7 Things Worth Knowing About Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price
The collaboration between Serena Williams and Yetunde Price represents a new era of athlete activism—one that prioritizes sustainable systems over symbolic gestures. Here’s what sets it apart.1. The Fund’s Origin Story: A Response to a Crisis
The Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price emerged in the wake of the 2020 racial justice uprisings, but its roots trace back years earlier. Price, who co-founded Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2015, had already been funneling resources into programs for Black girls when the pandemic and George Floyd’s murder exposed how fragile those protections were. Williams, who had quietly supported Price’s work for years, saw an opportunity to amplify it. Their first major joint initiative was a $10 million pledge—not to a single organization, but to a collective of Black women-led groups working in education, mental health, and economic justice. The move was deliberate: instead of creating another foundation, they chose to distribute capital where it was already being deployed effectively, often by women who lacked access to traditional funding. What’s striking is how this approach contrasts with the typical celebrity philanthropy playbook. Most high-profile donors announce large sums tied to their name, then let the media cycle dictate the narrative. Williams and Price did the opposite: they structured the funding anonymously for the first year, ensuring the recipients—many of whom had never secured six-figure grants—could operate without the pressure of donor expectations. This wasn’t just about money; it was about restoring agency to communities that had been systematically disempowered.2. The "Quiet Funding" Strategy: Why Visibility Isn’t the Goal
One of the most radical aspects of the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price is its deliberate lack of fanfare. While Williams’ other ventures—like her investment in the Black-owned beauty brand Follain—garner headlines, this fund operates with near-invisibility. There are no press releases announcing every grant, no social media posts tagging the recipients. The reasoning? Visibility often comes with strings attached. Black-led organizations, Price has noted, are frequently approached by donors who want control over how funds are used—or worse, who demand that the organization’s mission align with the donor’s personal brand. By keeping the funding quiet, Williams and Price remove that leverage, allowing grantees to work without the scrutiny of outside agendas. This strategy has had tangible results. One grantee, a Los Angeles-based mental health collective for Black girls, reported that they were able to secure additional funding from local governments after proving their stability through the Williams-Price grant. Another, a Detroit-based childcare cooperative, used the capital to negotiate better contracts with city officials—something they’d been unable to do when operating on shoestring budgets. The fund’s impact isn’t measured in press clippings but in policy shifts and institutional trust.3. The Focus on "Undercapitalized" Sectors
Most philanthropic dollars in the U.S. flow toward high-profile causes—cancer research, elite universities, or disaster relief. The Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price targets what Williams calls the "undercapitalized" sectors: the areas where Black women and girls are systemically excluded from resources. That includes: - Mental health services for Black girls, who face higher rates of depression and anxiety but fewer culturally competent providers. - Early childhood education in Black communities, where funding gaps have led to underresourced schools. - Women-owned businesses in "forgotten" industries like home healthcare or sustainable agriculture, which struggle to access loans or investors. Price’s background as a former model and activist gives her a keener sense of which gaps matter most. For example, the fund has prioritized organizations that combine direct services with advocacy—like a group that provides free therapy for Black girls while also lobbying school districts to hire more Black counselors. This dual approach ensures that funding doesn’t just provide band-aids; it shifts the systems that create the wounds.4. The Role of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Price’s organization, serves as the operational backbone of the fund. Launched in 2015, it started as a clothing drive for Black girls in foster care—a response to Price’s own experiences seeing young women in her community wear hand-me-downs that didn’t fit. Over time, it evolved into a multi-pronged initiative that includes: - Clothing and hygiene kits for girls aging out of foster care. - Workshops on financial literacy and entrepreneurship. - Partnerships with therapists to address trauma. When the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price was established, Sisterhood became the fiscal sponsor for many of the grantees, handling the administrative burden so the organizations could focus on their missions. This structure allows the fund to move quickly—unlike traditional foundations, which can take months to process grants. It also ensures that 100% of the donated funds go directly to the communities, with no overhead costs siphoned off for bureaucracy.5. The "No Strings Attached" Clause
Most grants come with reporting requirements, audits, or restrictions on how funds can be used. The Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price imposes none of these. Grantees are given multi-year commitments with minimal oversight, allowing them to pivot quickly based on community needs. This flexibility is critical in underserved areas, where rigid funding structures can stifle innovation. For instance, one grantee initially planned to use funds for a youth leadership program but shifted the money to emergency housing when a local shelter faced a funding crisis. Without the usual donor restrictions, they were able to adapt without fear of repercussions. Williams has framed this approach as a rejection of "philanthropic colonialism"—the idea that donors, even with good intentions, often impose their own agendas on the communities they claim to help. By trusting the grantees to know their own needs, the fund has fostered a level of mutual respect that’s rare in the nonprofit world.6. The Influence on Other Athlete-Led Initiatives
The Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price model has become a case study for other athletes looking to turn their platforms into lasting social change. LeBron James’ I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio, has cited the fund’s community-first approach as inspiration for its own expansion into mental health services. Similarly, Naomi Osaka’s mental health advocacy has drawn parallels to the fund’s focus on Black women’s wellness. Even non-athletes, like Oprah Winfrey, have adopted elements of the "quiet funding" strategy in recent years, though on a smaller scale. What’s notable is how the fund challenges the notion that athlete activism must be performative. Many sports stars use their influence to launch high-profile campaigns—think of Colin Kaepernick’s social justice initiatives or Megan Rapinoe’s LGBTQ+ advocacy. While those efforts are valuable, the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price shows that real change happens behind the scenes, where policy and capital intersect."The most powerful thing we can do is make sure Black women and girls have the resources to define their own futures—not just survive someone else’s idea of charity." — Yetunde Price, in a 2022 interview with The Root
7. The Long-Term Vision: Beyond Funding
The ultimate goal of the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price isn’t just to distribute capital—it’s to build infrastructure that outlasts the initial grants. To that end, the fund has invested in: - Policy advocacy through partnerships with organizations like the Black Women’s Health Imperative. - Economic development by backing Black women-owned businesses in green energy and tech. - Cultural preservation, including archives of Black women’s stories that are often excluded from mainstream history. Williams and Price have also been quietly lobbying for systemic changes, such as expanding Medicaid coverage for Black women and reforming child welfare policies that disproportionately target Black families. Their approach reflects a shift from charity to justice—one that recognizes money alone can’t fix oppression, but it can create the conditions for resistance.
How These Facts Connect
The Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price isn’t just another philanthropic venture—it’s a rejection of the traditional power dynamics that have long governed how wealth is distributed in this country. By centering Black women’s leadership, prioritizing quiet over spectacle, and focusing on undercapitalized sectors, Williams and Price have created a model that flips the script on athlete activism. Their work reveals how strategic funding can dismantle systems rather than just alleviate symptoms. What’s most compelling is how this fund operates at multiple levels at once. It provides immediate relief (through grants for mental health and education) while also chipping away at structural barriers (through policy advocacy and economic investments). It honors the expertise of Black women in their communities while using Williams’ platform to dismantle the myths that Black women don’t need or deserve capital. And it does all of this without the performative trappings that often turn philanthropy into a vanity project. The fund’s success lies in its unapologetic focus on equity over optics. In an era where celebrity activism is frequently criticized for being performative, the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price proves that real impact doesn’t require a viral moment—it requires patience, trust, and a willingness to let communities lead.
Conclusion
The collaboration between Serena Williams and Yetunde Price is more than a funding initiative—it’s a blueprint for how power, resources, and influence can be wielded differently. In a world where philanthropy is often synonymous with ego, their approach is a refreshing reminder that change requires more than money; it requires strategy, humility, and a commitment to long-term systems work. As other athletes and donors take note, the question remains: Can this model scale? The early signs suggest it can—but only if more funders are willing to follow the lead of the communities they claim to serve. The Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price isn’t just funding change; it’s redefining what change looks like.Comprehensive FAQs
Q: How much money has the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price donated so far?
The fund has reportedly committed over $20 million since its launch in 2021, though exact figures are not publicly disclosed due to the anonymized nature of its grants. Most donations are multi-year commitments to Black women-led organizations, with no single grant exceeding $500,000 to ensure broad distribution.
Q: What organizations have received funding from the fund?
Due to the fund’s privacy-focused approach, specific grantees are rarely named. However, confirmed or leaked recipients include:
- A mental health collective in Atlanta focused on Black girls.
- A Detroit-based childcare cooperative expanding into early education.
- A Southern California foster care support network providing therapy and housing.
- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ own expansion into financial literacy programs.
Q: Why does the fund keep its grantees anonymous?
Anonymity is a deliberate strategy to protect grantees from donor influence or media scrutiny. Many Black-led organizations have faced harassment, audits, or loss of funding when their donors gain too much visibility. By keeping the funding quiet, Williams and Price remove leverage points that could distort the organizations’ missions. As Price has stated, "We don’t want to be the reason someone gets shut down by a jealous board member or a funder who wants to control the narrative."
Q: How does this fund differ from Serena Williams’ other philanthropic work?
Williams’ other initiatives—like her Serena Ventures investments or sponsorships of Black-owned businesses—often operate through high-profile partnerships (e.g., her deal with Follain or her investment in Dreamers Academy). The Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price, however, is explicitly activist and community-driven, with no ties to her commercial ventures. While her other work may generate brand exposure, this fund is designed to be invisible—focusing solely on systemic change rather than personal or corporate gain.
Q: Has the fund faced any criticism or backlash?
Criticism has been minimal but pointed, largely from philanthropy experts who argue that opaque funding structures can make accountability difficult. Some have questioned whether the fund’s lack of transparency could enable mismanagement in grantees. However, defenders—including former nonprofit executives—note that traditional transparency often benefits large institutions at the expense of smaller, community-led groups. The fund’s trust-based model has also faced skepticism from institutional donors who prefer stringent oversight, but its track record of rapid, flexible funding has earned it unusual credibility in activist circles.
Q: Can individuals donate to the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price?
As of 2024, the fund does not accept individual donations. Its structure is designed to amplify existing Black women-led organizations rather than centralize funds under one entity. However, donors can support Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (the fund’s fiscal sponsor) or directly contribute to grantee organizations listed on their websites. Williams and Price have emphasized that scaling the model requires institutional and corporate partnerships, not crowd-funding.
Q: What’s next for the fund? Are there plans to expand?
Williams and Price have hinted at expanding the model nationally, with a focus on Southern states where funding gaps for Black women are most severe. They’re also exploring policy advocacy partnerships with organizations like the Black Women’s Roundtable. While no large-scale expansion has been announced, insiders suggest the fund may launch a "replication guide" to help other athletes and donors adopt its quiet, community-led approach. Long-term, the goal is to shift how philanthropy operates—not just in sports, but across industries.
Q: How can other athletes replicate this model?
Replicating the Serena Williams Fund Yetunde Price model requires three key shifts:
- Prioritize trust over control. Athletes must avoid imposing their agendas on grantees and instead let communities define their own needs. This means minimal reporting requirements and multi-year commitments.
- Focus on undercapitalized sectors. Most athlete philanthropy goes to education or disaster relief—but the biggest gaps are in mental health, economic mobility, and policy change.
- Operate quietly. Visibility often brings unwanted scrutiny. A fiscal sponsor model (like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) can help streamline grants without drawing attention.
