Today we’d like to introduce you to Floyd Jones
Hi Floyd, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story isn’t about overcoming – it’s about reclaiming.
My journey begins with the people who anchor me – my family – whose resilience courses through my veins. Their love reminds me daily that building community isn’t just work—it’s a part of my legacy.
Growing up, I carried the weight of displacement. My first encounter with racism made me feel like a stranger in my own body, echoing a truth my ancestors knew intimately. My family traces its roots to Freetown, Sierra Leone, a settlement founded by freed slaves through the Back-to-Africa movement. Their story—of displacement, defiance, and rebuilding “home” in a land both foreign and familiar—taught me that belonging is something we create, not inherit.
At The George Washington University, where I earned my Bachelor’s in International Relations, I sharpened my understanding of global systems and human connection. That education became a compass, guiding me toward a career centered on building bridges between resources and those who need them most. Over the years, I’ve raised over $20M for grassroots organizations, spoke at 50+ conferences, and saw my work amplified by outlets like ESPN, AfroTech, and Wired.
But the cracks in philanthropy haunted me. Black-led nonprofits were celebrated as “innovative” one day, abandoned the next—treated like perpetual nomads in a system designed to keep them transient. In 2023, I founded BackBlack to dismantle that cycle. Through this multi-platform initiative, we’ve directed $1.3M to 770 Black-led nonprofits, transforming fleeting gestures into sustained investment. This work isn’t transactional; it’s deeply personal. Every dollar, every partnership, honors my purpose — from my family’s history in Freetown to Atlanta, where I now have my roots.
Today, through FloydJones.co, I collaborate with purpose-driven leaders to build communities that thrive economically and socially. Atlanta, with its rich tapestry of Black excellence, fuels my mission. Here, I’m reminded daily: when we center relationships over transactions, when we listen rather than prescribe, we don’t just create change—we reclaim power. And in that reclamation, I find my joy.
This is more than a career. It’s a promise—to my ancestors, my loved ones, and the generations ahead—that displacement ends with us. Home isn’t a place; it’s the future we build together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has it been a smooth road? Not at all – because systemic inequities aren’t passive cracks in the pavement; they’re walls that demand dismantling.
Early in my career, I witnessed how Black-led nonprofits were reduced to fleeting ‘moments’ in philanthropy – lauded for their urgency in one moment, then abandoned when the spotlight shifted. These organizations, grounded in grassroots impact, are forced to contort to funders’ ever-changing whims instead of receiving the trust and stability required to thrive.
My own journey echoed this instability. From navigating racism to the exhaustion of code-switching in spaces where I felt I needed to make myself smaller and blend in, I learned that the displacement that comes from this isn’t just a physical feeling. It’s about the slow erosion of agency – the message that your story must be fragmented to fit structures that weren’t designed for you.
That’s why BackBlack exists.
But building it meant confronting a status quo that twists terms like ‘exclusionary’ to defend centuries of exclusion. I’ve sat across tables where funders dismissed targeted investment in Black communities, as if equity could be achieved through the same systems that caused the harm.
The road hasn’t been smooth, but it’s been necessary. Every ‘no’ became a compass, redirecting me toward partners who understood that true change requires resource and power redistribution. Today, I’m not just committed to creating pathways, I’m committed to ensuring they’re paved with the dignity and autonomy our communities deserve.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My work exists at the intersection of social impact and sustainable community building. I wear two hats: as the founder of BackBlack, a nonprofit initiative, and Floyd Jones Enterprises, a consultancy that empowers purpose-driven leaders and organizations to scale their impact through community-led strategies.
BackBlack is the heartbeat of my advocacy. We direct capital, amplify awareness, and build capacity for Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits, having mobilized over $1.3M for 770 organizations. We challenge the status quo of philanthropic inequity and create pathways for long-term investment in Black innovation.
Through Floyd Jones Enterprises, I work directly with creators, and socially conscious companies to transform engagement into sustainable growth. My specialty is helping clients build communities that drive both impact and income—whether that’s designing fundraising campaigns, coaching leaders on equity-centered strategies, or crafting partnerships that scale visibility and revenue.
What sets me apart? My approach blends hard metrics with human-centered design. At Givebutter, I helped scale a platform powering $2B+ in donations by prioritizing relationships over transactions. Today, I bring that same ethos to every project: communities thrive when we center trust, cultural nuance, and systemic equity.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of how BackBlack and Floyd Jones Enterprises complement each other. BackBlack addresses immediate resource gaps, while Floyd Jones Enterprises equips leaders to dismantle those gaps for good. Together, they reflect my belief that equity isn’t charity—it’s a practice.
What makes you happy?
My relationships. My wife, my family, and my community. These core elements are the heartbeat of everything I do. They ground me, remind me why this work matters, and fuel the joy I find knowing that what I create has a real impact.
For me, it’s never just about moving resources; it’s about connecting them in ways that uplift people, especially those who’ve been overlooked. Creativity is my tool. I thrive on finding unexpected solutions, whether it’s through my music, advocacy, or partnerships. But none of it happens without trust. The relationships I’ve nurtured over decades aren’t just contacts; they’re collaborations built on shared purpose. When you prioritize people over transactions, you don’t just open doors—you build bridges. And those bridges? They’re how we create legacies, not just outcomes. That’s the work I care about: planting seeds today that grow into opportunities for generations tomorrow. Even when things are challenging – these thoughts fuel me and always make me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://backblackmovement.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefloydjones/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefloydjones
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefloydjones-/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefloydjones
