Black Lives Matter. Always.

We founded Ballmer Group in 2015 to focus our resources and civic activism on economic mobility in the United States. We care deeply about opportunity for kids, from cradle to career. We've had the privilege to listen and learn about what's holding communities back, and racial inequities were evident in the data we reviewed, places we visited, and stories we heard.

We learned that systemic racism is the pivotal factor in this work - that it is impossible to improve economic mobility for all children without confronting and fighting racism.

It has taken too many murders and injustices against Black people to shine a bright light on the racism that continues in America. This is a critical moment in history, and we are hopeful that the passion and urgency that has been demonstrated across the country will lead to action toward racial equity. And that white people - especially those with platforms - will listen, speak up against injustice, and take action to be allies and advocates.

We believe that no child in our country should have pre-determined, limited opportunity at birth. Much of the work we support is rooted in racial equity, because of the stark differences in economic mobility depending on a person's race. Further data also helped us to recognize and prioritize support for Black men and boys, while still addressing the full spectrum of need. For example, the poorest, white male children have about an 11% chance to rise to the top of the income ladder as adults, while poor, Black male children have only a 2.5% chance.

Why do these disparities exist? We've come to understand that structural racism is built into all of the systems that govern our lives and does disproportionate harm to Black people and communities. Racism is present in policing. It is also present in education, housing, health, workforce, criminal justice, and other public systems. 400 years after the start of the horrendous system of slavery, Black Americans still face and must overcome extra barriers in nearly every aspect of their lives.

Over the past few weeks, we've been asked by many people what we are doing to help. The answer is: we proudly support some incredible organizations and heroic individuals in the fight against inequity and injustice - and we plan to do much more.

For those who are looking for ways to help, many of Ballmer Group's grantees work towards racial equity. These organizations are advocating to change systems that maintain structural racism, as well as providing needed services to help communities heal and kids and families succeed.

We are committed to deeper learning and bigger impact by investing more philanthropy. We will continue to listen to how we can best support the Black community and to stand up, join the conversation, advocate, and take and encourage action. And we know that this is just the beginning.