What the Fundraising – Episode 260: Building Resilience Through Play, Love, and Community Power with Cicley Gay

Date: September 23, 2025
Host: Mallory Erickson
Guest: Cicley Gay, Board Chairwoman, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation

Episode Overview

In this episode of What the Fundraising, Mallory Erickson sits down with Cicley Gay, Board Chairwoman of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and founder of The Amplifiers. Their conversation explores the power of resilience, the transformative role of play and joy in community work, and how love anchors movements for justice and equity. Cicley shares the evolution of BLM as an organization, their current focus on the revolutionary Black Play Matters campaign, and insights into navigating misinformation, leadership, and sustainable change in the nonprofit sector.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Human Side of Philanthropy and Leadership

• Cicley's Philosophy: She redefines philanthropy, centering it on the love of humanity rather than financial giving alone.
  • Quote: "I think about the love of humanity... and I say that love is my superpower and I stay anchored in love even when the climate can become hostile." — Cicley Gay (00:34)
• Motivation through Motherhood: Cicley relates how her three sons inspire her leadership and fuel her commitment to social change.
  • Quote: "My oldest... said, how can you not? Your entire life has been about preparing us... now it's time for you to prepare the world for us." — Cicley Gay (03:55)

2. The Evolution and Transparency of Black Lives Matter

• Movement vs. Organization: Cicley clarifies the distinction between the BLM movement and the official 501(c)(3) foundation she leads (04:37).
  • The foundation now emphasizes Black life and Black love, moving beyond its roots in protest against Black death.
• Transparency and Misinformation: In an era rife with misinformation, BLM has prioritized truth and transparency, notably through their Transparency Center (07:39).
  • Quote: "We're operating as a traditional foundation, but we're doing it through truth and transparency... I don't want to just defend. I want to reframe and redirect the narrative away from false claims." — Cicley Gay (07:39)
  • $40 million invested to date in frontline organizations and direct aid (07:59).

3. Combating Misinformation & Narrative Complexity

• Challenges of Nuance vs. Clickbait: Mallory and Cicley discuss the difficulties of conveying nuanced, complex social change work in a media landscape driven by sensationalism and misinformation (09:19).
  • Cicley’s Approach: Invests in proactive truth-telling, leveraging the same platforms used for misinformation, and envisions funding "good bots" and trustworthy influencers to counteract falsehoods (10:29).
  • Quote: "If I had a blank checkbook, I would probably start doing things like just funding truth." — Cicley Gay (10:36)
• Owning Platform Spaces: Cicley reflects on how BLM’s origins in social media are now leveraged in countering misinformation through collective and unified truth (11:36).

4. Black Play Matters: Play as a Tool for Justice and Healing

• Initiative Overview: Black Play Matters is a core campaign designed to create access to joy and play, which Cicley sees as essential acts of dignity and liberation, especially in marginalized communities (04:37; 13:47).
  • Quote: "Play can become acts of dignity and liberation where they are not considered extracurricular but essential." — Cicley Gay (15:11)
• Science of Play: With experience from her time at the Women’s Sports Foundation, Cicley highlights how play positively impacts mental health, resilience, connectedness, and academic outcomes (13:47).
• Examples of Impact:
  • Building water wells and introducing soccer (football) in Ghana in partnership with Africax (15:50).
  • Swim lessons at the Ebony Beach Club in Santa Monica, addressing disproportionate drowning rates (16:09).
  • Tuff (Teaching Us Fitness & Fundamentals) in NY connectivity between play, sports, and financial literacy (16:16).
• Investment as Disruption: By centering play in their grantmaking, BLM is disrupting the traditional priorities of philanthropy, reframing play and joy as foundational to thriving communities (17:16).

5. Barriers to Play and the Privilege Divide

• Structural Inequality: Both Mallory and Cicley reflect on how access to play is increasingly “pay to play,” with cost prohibiting many families, and how this perpetuates privilege in youth activities (19:10–19:59).
  • Quote: "To literally level that playing field for folks so that they can have access to play is something that we can't forget about." — Cicley Gay (19:55)
• Community Power: Cicley’s personal story emphasizes how community, not just single-parent effort, enabled opportunities for her sons (17:38).

6. System Disruption and Organizational Evolution

• Embracing the Uncomfortable: Shifting BLM’s focus from solely protest and resistance to also prioritizing joy and healing is seen as revolutionary but not always universally accepted (20:37–21:30).
  • Quote: "It hasn't been completely smooth sailing... but we believe that this is revolutionary, too." — Cicley Gay (21:25)
• Continuous Learning: There’s an openness to learning and adapting as the organization steps into new territory, advocating for more organizations to embrace experimentation (22:23).
  • Quote: "We don't have it all figured out... and now we're going to try and test and figure it out, and we're here for the work." — Mallory Erickson (22:37)

7. Reframing Philanthropy and Sustaining Movements

• Leadership by Love and Boldness: Cicley returns to love as her guiding principle, noting that boldness is about risk-taking for long-term movement sustainability, not about aggression (22:41).
  • Quote: "Boldness is not about being the loudest or the biggest or the most aggressive. It's about willing to take those risks..." — Cicley Gay (22:50)
• Reconciliation and Continued Work: The episode closes on a note of hope, with Cicley expressing gratitude for evolving relationships and productive collaborations, even after past controversies (23:40).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Love-Based Foundation of Philanthropy:
  • "I think about the love of humanity... love is my superpower and I stay anchored in love." — Cicley Gay (00:34)
• On Organizational Evolution:
  • "If you dream of a world where people are free from fear and oppression and poverty and inequality, that means mutual aid, that means community, self-determination, and that is why we launched Black Play Matters. Because it also means joy." — Cicley Gay (05:37)
• On Combating Misinformation:
  • "If I had a blank checkbook, I would probably start doing things like just funding truth. Right. Funding good bots." — Cicley Gay (10:36)
• On Play as Revolution:
  • "Play can become acts of dignity and liberation, where they are not considered extracurricular but essential." — Cicley Gay (15:11)
• On Community in Single Parenting:
  • "I don't call myself a single mom because there's nothing singular about the community that has supported me and my family." — Cicley Gay (17:38)
• On Systemic Disruption:
  • "We've shaken things up... standing firm in a foundation of joy and play and freedom so that we can have the stamina to get through." — Cicley Gay (18:41)
• On Taking Risks for Sustainable Change:
  • "Boldness is not about being the loudest or the biggest ... it's about willing to take those risks ... when we're thinking about the longevity and sustainability of the movement." — Cicley Gay (22:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:34 – Cicley’s philanthropic philosophy: Love as superpower.
• 03:44 – Motherhood’s influence on Cicley’s leadership.
• 04:37 – Distinguishing BLM the movement vs. foundation.
• 07:39 – Organizational transparency and combating misinformation.
• 09:19 – Challenges of nuanced conversations amidst clickbait culture.
• 10:36 – Imagining philanthropy funding truth in the face of disinformation.
• 13:47 – Science and necessity of play; Play as part of BLM’s mission.
• 15:50 – Black Play Matters: Examples and grantees.
• 17:16 – Play as foundational for broader community outcomes.
• 19:10–19:59 – The privilege and barriers around access to play.
• 20:37–21:30 – Organizational resistance to new approaches and the revolutionary nature of joy in activism.
• 22:41 – Reframing philanthropy, embracing risk, and sustaining movements.
• 23:55 – Reconciliation, learning from experience, and extending an invitation for partnership.

Where to Learn More & Support

• Website: blacklivesmatter.com
  • Explore the Transparency Center for details on grants and financials.
• Instagram: @blkivesmatter
• Transparency Center: See how investments directly reach communities and frontline organizations.

This episode offers a timely, heartening, and honest look at how love, innovation, and community power are shaping the future of social justice work. Whether you’re in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, or frontline advocacy, Cicley’s reflections provide thoughtful blueprints for grounding movements in joy, transparency, and collective care.