The Black Researchers Collective is a Chicago-based research organization that advocates for policies and community-based training it claims will “advance racial equity.” ¹ The group has received funding from several major left-of-center grantmaking foundations including the MacArthur Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and receives $700,000 annually from the State of Illinois. ²

Activity

The Black Researchers Collective is a Chicago-based research organization that advocates for policies and community-based training it claims will “advance racial equity.” ^{1 3} From 2021 through 2024, the Collective claims to have invested $390,000 into African American communities within the Chicago region through various programs such as food banks. ³

Reparations Advocacy

In November 2024, the Black Researchers Collective joined with the Blackroots Alliance, and Liberation in a Generation in publishing “Reinvest 2 Repair: Community Listening Sessions with Black Chicagoans on Reparations,” a report based on interviews with over 200 African-American residents of Chicago including their views on racial reparations. ⁴

The report advocated that the city of Chicago set aside city funds for reparations, form a “Community-Led, Publicly Accountable Reparations Task Force” to create reparations-based policy, and grant reparations in the form of a one-time direct cash transfer as well as continued financial support to cover basic needs. The report proposes a guaranteed income, guaranteed housing, a guaranteed job, guaranteed inheritance, guaranteed family care, guaranteed debt-free college, and financial support for Black-owned businesses. In addition, the report recommends that the city set up a “Freedman’s Bank” to provide financial services exclusively for African-American residents. ⁴

Funding

In mid-2022, the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) approved an annual expenditure of $700,000 to support the “operating expenses” of the Black Researchers Collective. ² According to the Chicago City Wire, since 2022 the annual expenditure was approved each year including another $700,000 for the city’s 2025-2026 proposed budget according to a February 2025 appropriations bill. ²

The Collective has received funding from Chicago Beyond, the Chicago Community Trust and Affiliates, the Joyce Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Polk Bros Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund, Cook County Starting Block Grants, the Chicago Foundation for Women, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Grand Victoria Foundation. ^{5 2}

Leadership

Glenance Green is a co-founder and the executive director of the Black Researchers Collective. Green previously worked as a member of the City of Chicago’s Advisory Council on Equity, was  the deputy director of media research group Free Spirit Media, and was a racial equity fellow at Chicago United for Equity. In addition, Green worked as a researcher at the American Institutes for Research as well as a campaign worker for then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s (D-IL) presidential campaign in 2008. ^{6 2}

Shari Runner is a co-founder and the director of the Collective. Runner previously worked as a manager at the University of Chicago and ACT charter schools. ⁷

1. “Homepage.” Black Researchers Collective. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.blackresearcherscollective.com/
2. “Illinois DOGE Profile: $700K per year to the Black Researchers Collective.” Chicago City Wire. March 23, 2025. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/670629169-illinois-doge-profile-700k-per-year-to-the-black-researchers-collective
3. “Impact Report Card.” Square Space. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66d87d8bf73b364cf7d6ac11/t/67c8b65a1fed660bdbf7d7d3/1741207140605/Black+Researchers+Collective+2024+Impact+Report+Card.pdf.
4. “Reinvest 2 Repair: Community Listening Sessions with Black Chicagoans on Reparations.” Square Space.  Accessed April 2, 2025. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66d87d8bf73b364cf7d6ac11/t/67c8c21b51e6711e9a4160fb/1741210164445/Reinvest+2+Repair+Report.pdf.
5. “Homepage.” Black Research Collective. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.blackresearcherscollective.com/.
6. Glenance Green, PhD.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenancegreen/.
7. “Shari Runner.” Black Researchers Collective. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.blackresearcherscollective.com/shari-runner.