The BIPOC Financial Empowerment Program is an initiative of the Building Equity Collaborative, a BIPOC-driven collaborative made up of community organizations, housing nonprofits, and businesses all working together to empower communities of color to achieve their financial goals and claim their worth.

Meet the Building Equity Collaborative

  • Cultivemos Alegria

    DESIGN PARTNER

  • The Root Social Justice Center

    DESIGN PARTNER

  • NAACP Rutland Area Branch

    DESIGN PARTNER

  • Windham & Windsor Housing Trust

    SOLIDARITY IN ACTION PARTNER

Our Mission:

The Building Equity Collaborative’s mission is to address gaps in the delivery of existing financial education and homeownership programs to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) by providing access to culturally relevant and trauma-informed financial education in a supportive affinity space. We aim to reduce the widening racial wealth gap and homeownership disparities by bringing together BIPOC-led community organizations, housing and economic development nonprofits, financial institutions and state agencies to better understand and meet the needs of BIPOC Vermonters. Through our collective efforts we have the power to create holistic approaches to reduce economic disparities. We will cultivate relationships among service providers and BIPOC-led community organizations to strengthen referral networks and promote equitable and accessible engagement of underserved and under-resourced BIPOC communities.

Meet our Project Lead!

The Building Equity Collaborative is thrilled to have Ana Mejia, of Cultivemos Alegria LLC, serve as the project lead for the BIPOC Financial Empowerment Initiative.

Ana served as the facilitator for the BIPOC-Centered Homebuying Group, hosted by the Root Social Justice Center and Windham & Windsor Housing Trust. The BIPOC-Centered Homebuying Group served as the inspiration and predecessor for the BIPOC Financial Empowerment Initiative.

If you have any questions about the BIPOC Financial Empowerment Initiative, please contact Ana. She can be reached at ana[at]webuildequity.org.

  • Project Lead

    Ana Mejia is a cultural broker, community organizer, and financial educator. Ana started her business, Cultivemos Alegria, with the purpose of utilizing her professional training and lived experience to empower communities of color. Her greatest joys include connecting with the Spanish-speaking Latino community and developing programs that unapologetically center people of the global majority. Ana is committed to creating spaces where people of the global majority are seen, heard, validated and supported in rooting themselves wherever they so choose.

Meet our Outreach Partners

  • Community Resilience Organizations

  • Vermont Releaf Collective

  • Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) Multicultural Community Center

  • Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA)

Thank You To Our Sponsors!

M&T Bank Charitable Foundation

Vermont Housing Finance Agency

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please reach out to us via email at ana[at]webuildequity.org