Afro-Play Oakland is a Black-led, community-rooted organization that creates sacred, intergenerational spaces for Black families to heal, grow, and connect. Afro-Play is both a thematic family playgroup and a culturally affirming Family Resource Center. We offer everything from culturally rich children’s programming to childcare and mental health referrals, parenting support, free groceries, free books and community events. Our mission is rooted in Harambee, a Kiswahili word meaning "All pull together.” That spirit of collective uplift lives in everything we do.
We are thankful for your support of Afro-Play Oakland, where Black children and families come together to Play, Heal, Build and Grow together.
HOW YOUR DONATION CAN HELP
🌱 $150 - $250: Can help supply a personal library to a child. Afro-Play believes that representation matters. We make sure to not only read but give away books that are a cultural reflection of the diaspora. Black children deserve to have access to early literacy through books and stories of people that look like them.
🌱 $250 - $500: Can help support a month of art project supplies for both child & adults plus thematic classroom settings. Afro-Play is a thematic playgroup based in Afrocentrism. Whatever the weekly theme focus may be, it is an experience that is reflected throughout every part of the play space. We also supply children and parents with something to take home as a memory of the experience to further engage in and explore.
🌱 $350 - $500: Can support one to two months program snack and community lunches. We serve snacks during playgroup as well as “to-go” snacks at the end of playgroup. Occasionally, we host a lunch feast for the families to fellowship and celebrate our growing kinship. It is important that we break bread together.
🌱 $800 - $1,600: Can help with Professional Development costs. No one is done growing. We are open to expanding our minds and business strategy so that Afro-Play Oakland will be a sustainable organization in Oakland and beyond.
🌻 $1,000 - $2,000: Website Host Service / Domain Names / Email Suite / Misc. Subscription Fees
🌻 $1,200 - $2,500: Purchase merchandise inventory to sale & create a line of earned income. Revenue to help with branding / Outreach & Marketing for the program. Our families have been asking for more Afro-Play shirts, hoodies, etc. for quite some time. We have a few ideas that will help spread Black Joy and the values of our organization through wearable merchandise.
🌻 $1,800 - $4,000: Rent for a month or two in a new place of business in Oakland. AP has been a fiscally sponsored program for years and has operated through sharing space at Room to Bloom Family Resource Ctr. We love that space! But can only operate programming once a week. We also have to set up/take down the classroom each week since it is a shared space. Afro-Play would love a place of our own. One in East Oakland with easy, free street parking and near a park and/or with yard space for safe outdoor play in Oakland.
🌻 $2,500 - $5,500: Educational Toys, Storage and Furniture for new place of business to house and offer more program days and an office to work out of.
🌻 $3,000 - $4,500: Business Insurance Services.
🌻 $5,000 - $7,500: Equipment, Software, Office Furniture
🌳 $10,000 - $15,000: Cultural Practitioners & Guest Artists for workshops and enrichment.
🌳 $10,000 - $15,000: Emergency Funds for families in crisis and in need of immediate assistance (i.e.: rental, burial, etc)
🌳 $15,000 - $20,000: Administrative Consultants
🌳 $22,000 - $48,000: 1-2 years’ worth of Rent + Security Deposit.
🌳 $100,000 - $150,000+: General Operating costs
Afro- Play Oakland is a Black women-led organization. Oakland Natives and Co-Founding Directors, Ajhana DeRamous and Ellen Hamilton have grown Afro-Play Oakland into a charitable non-profit 501c3 organization. There are many costs to provide a consistent free to low-cost service to the community. Ellen and Ajhana both give tirelessly to provide a nurturing, safe and sacred play space for children of the African diaspora to grow and build lasting kinships in Oakland.
🌱ANYTHING HELPS. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING AFRO-PLAY’S MISSION 🌱