To Our Valued Community Supporters, As we enter this season of gratitude and giving, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt appreciation  for your continued support of MetroMorphosis. Each year, we witness incredible transformations in our community, thanks to people like you who believe in our mission to uplift and empower Baton …

< View this email in your browser Welcome The Metro is a quarterly quick- read direct to your inbox featuring movements that are changing our city and our country! Get to know local change agents, see how communities are coming together and be the first to know what we’re working on in-house! MUSIC SERIES HOPES …

View this email in your browser We’ve curated impactful reads and actionable opportunities to help you engage with the movement for racial equity in philanthropy. Whether through learning, sharing, or giving, your involvement is crucial to driving lasting change. Explore the articles and calls to action below, and join us in making a meaningful impact. …

View this email in your browser Welcome The Metro is a quarterly quick- read direct to your inbox featuring movements that are changing our city and our country! Get to know local change agents, see how communities are coming together and be the first to know what we’re working on in-house! RESIDENTS USE RELATIONSHIPS, TRAINING …

View this email in your browser As we kick off Black Philanthropy Month, we invite you to join us in celebrating the exceptional generosity and invaluable contributions of the Black community. This month is dedicated to recognizing and honoring the diverse forms of philanthropy that strengthen and uplift our communities. Understanding Philanthropy While philanthropy is …

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* The power to create meaningful change has always lied within our communities. This Juneteenth, we celebrate not only the resilience and strength of Black communities but also the collective action and community empowerment that have driven progress and justice for generations. Your involvement is crucial in driving this movement forward. Here are a few …

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* DOWNLOAD TOOLKIT HERE

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* View this email in your browser Welcome The Metro is a quarterly quick- read direct to your inbox featuring movements that are changing our city and our country! Get to know local change agents, see how communities are coming together and be the first to know what we’re working on in-house! SPROUTING INTERESTS: EBR …

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release  April 1, 2024 Urban Leadership Development Initiative Celebrates 10 Years of Empowering Change Agents Baton Rouge, La –  The Urban Leadership Development Initiative (ULDI) proudly announces the opening of applications for its landmark 10th Cohort, marking a decade of fostering impactful leadership within urban communities. Since …

Welcome The Metro is a quarterly quick- read direct to your inbox featuring movements that are changing our city and our country! Get to know local change agents, see how communities are coming together and be the first to know what we’re working on in-house! ——- AROUND TOWN ——- LA BLACK HISTORY HALL OF FAME …

View this email in your browser Make Your Investment Here! Note: Limited speaker quantities available. 

View this email in your browser Make Your Investment Here! Note: Limited speaker quantities available. 

As we gather with gratitude in our hearts this season, we want to take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for each and every one of you for engaging in ways that support the positive transformation of our community. At MetroMorphosis, we are inspired daily by the incredible work happening within our community that we …

  Early Voting Sept. 30-Oct. 7Election Day October 14 Election Day is fast approaching, be sure you have the information you need to be an informed voter!   Partners and organizations are hosting forums to ensure that you hear directly from candidates and are able to ask questions about the issues that matter most to you. …

    Baton Rouge will be the site of the largest college football weekend that the State of Louisiana has seen thus far. The weekend includes games and entertainment featuring Southern University, Louisiana State University, Grambling State University and Jackson State University and is being dubbed the Capital Classic. We’ll be kicking off the week by …

View this email in your browser Dear MetroMorphosis Supporter, Last year, we shared a unique leadership shift at MetroMorphosis, Intergenerational Co-leadership. This shift has afforded us many wonderful opportunities: national speaking engagements, articles in esteemed publications, and the ability to share our own insights. It has also made a great impact internally. In my latest …

Black Philanthropy Month is a month-long celebration and renewal of giving to and by African-descended communities.It is no secret that Black led organizations are funded an average of 24% less than those led by their counterparts. Still, these organizations are expected to change the landscape caused by the inequities their communities face.During this month, we look back at the …

Happy Juneteenth! Today, we celebrate the day enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom and chattel slavery ended. Once informed of their new freedom, these formerly enslaved people began to build communities across the country that became known as Freedmen’s Towns that transformed he meaning of community building for the world. This week we are going to …

Urban communities will be transformed because of the generosity of people like you. We set two goals for this years 225 Gives campaign and are proud to say that we surpassed one of them. We asked for your help in raising $6,000 and connecting with 100 donors.  We raised over $8,300 dollars and are grateful for …

This 225 Gives we set a goal to raise $6,000 from 100 donors and thanks to generous donors like you, we have already met one of our goals! You can help us reach the second one by donating to MetroMorphosis today. Your gift to our organization supports community engagements, trainings, discussions and model development in …

We’ve set a goal to raise $6,000 from 100 donors. We are proud to share that we have reached our goal of $6,000. However, we still need your help to reach 100 donors! You are an important partner in the work to transform communities in Baton Rouge. When you donate to MetroMorphosis, you are investing in …

The transformation of urban communities will not be solely imported from outside of our communities. It will take all of us who care about creating a better Baton Rouge for our present and future. We believe you are an important partner in the work to transform communities and ask you to donate between now and …

The Urban Leadership Development Initiative is a a year-long experience to equip them with the tools and knowledge necessary to develop their practice of leadership and build stronger communities. Earlier this month we began recruiting for the 9th cohort of the Urban Leadership Development Initiative. This cohort is open to change agents who are looking to …

Race is the biggest predictor of life outcomes in the United States. Pick any system that impacts one’s life—education, health, economic opportunity, criminal justice—and the data will show that those systems continuously disadvantage Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous people in America. Baton Rouge is no exception. For years, race has been the biggest distinguishing factor between …

March 10, 2023  Accessing Capital In partnership with Essential Federal Credit Union, MetroMorphosis launched its Revolving Loan Fund to provide resources to businesses needing to grow their capacity, recover from disaster or crisis or pivot their services to reflect innovation in their sector.  Businesses can receive up to $10,000 and can utilize the funds in the following ways. …

Marketing Bootcamp Want to develop marketing tools? Check out this Marketing Bootcamp by Power Move Management Learn the best marketing and promotional trends and strategies from top experts all while enhancing your business and brand!  This event will be held Saturday, April 15 from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM. For more details and information to …

Baton Rouge is ready to celebrate Women’s History Month! Women’s History Month is a time for individuals and organizations in several countries throughout the world to highlight the contributions of women in history and their impact on our lives today. We’re thrilled to join the celebration, and in true MetroMorphosis fashion, we will not only recognize historical contributions, but also the …

Baton Rouge is closing out Black Futures Month with several meaningful opportunities. Read below to get involved! In case you missed it, 19 local change agents provided their perspective on critical areas impacting the lives of Black people in Baton Rouge. These writings make up the first issue of MetroMorphosis’ latest publication: Building a Better Baton Rouge: Critical …

At the beginning of February, we kicked off our annual Black Futures Month celebration. Each year, we opt to view our Black history through the lens of Sankofa. Sankofa means to “make benevolent use of the past to make progress in the future.” In other words, learning from the past and leveraging its teachings in the present …

FedEx Grant Opportunity If you are looking for access to capital through a funding stream that is not a loan, look no further than the FedEx Grant Contest. The  FedEx® Small Business Grant Contest is now open to small businesses.   This is your chance to go all out for a chance to be one of …

With the first month of 2023 officially over and  one of our favorite months starting, we thought now would be as good a time as any to discuss our plans for the year. At MetroMorphosis, we recognize the importance of lived experience in developing innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges and opportunities that are before them. …

Happy Holidays Dear Friends, As we prepare to depart for the upcoming holiday season and start of a new year, we could not help but to reflect on some of the critical moments of 2022. This year MetroMorphosis celebrated 10 years of transforming urban communities from within and we recognize that much of our success …

The MetroMorphosis Intergenerational Co-Leadership team is taking their thought leadership and insights to new heights. Co-leads Raymond A. Jetson and Sherreta R. Harrison wrote a piece entitled The Future of Leadership is Plural: 5 Reasons You Should Practice Intergenerational Co-Leadership that was published by Next Avenue! Current leadership styles are becoming outdated, are not leaving room …

Invest in Transformation The Urban Leadership Development Initiative is gearing up for the ninth cohort of fellows. For years, we have engaged and convened change makers and equipped them with tools that could be leveraged not only to identify opportunities and challenges, but design and sustain meaningful solutions. This Giving Tuesday, we are asking you to …

It’s no secret that our sweet spot is convening a strategic group of individuals around a common goal. We’ve done this for well over a decade, and a few Fridays ago, we did it again with the inaugural C3 Summit.  Change-makers from nearly 20 local organizations gathered for a half-day experience centered around “the three Cs”: …

Small businesses are a critical piece of building economically inclusive communities that support the development of the communities we are working to transform. We are happy to be in the business of supporting  Baton Rouge’s small, emerging Black, woman, minority and veteran owned businesses in accessing capital, building capacity and connecting to contracts.  Included in this bi-weekly email are opportunities to …

What’s At Stake Part 2 is starting now on YouTube. Tonight’s conversation will provide insight around the impact that voting has on issues that are important! This year’s panel will be facilitated by Johnathan Hill and features Moon Muhammad, Carlos Pollard Jr. Frankie Robertson and Laramie Griffin. Some of the issues that they’ll be covering include women’s rights, Black maternal health, …

We’re Live and In-Person Tomorrow This year, we are hosting the second installment of the conversation to help our community understand the impact voting has on issues that are important to them. This year’s panel will be facilitated by Johnathan Hill and features Moon Muhammad, Carlos Pollard Jr. Frankie Robertson and Laramie Griffin. There are TWO ways for you to …

MetroMorphosis is committed to the development of an informed voter base. Last year, we hosted What’s At Stake: A Mass Meeting on Zoom to inform community members of the importance of voting.  This year, we are hosting the second installment of the conversation to help our community understand the impact voting has on issues that are …

The month of September was full of engagements and community at MetroMorphosis. We participated in strategies that: Increased voter registration Provided information and resources to Black businesses in our community  Continued our conversation on intergenerational co-leadership Continue reading for more! The first installment of Movement Insights, a publication dedicated to new developments in our work …

For the first time in history, there are five generations present in the workforce. This moment calls for a reimagining of leadership to ensure that the talents of each age group are leveraged and the organization remains relevant to the ever – changing audiences it engages with. Today, we’re sharing the first installment of Movement …

The month of August was full of announcements, engagements and community at MetroMorphosis. We announced the transition to a new leadership model and celebrated Black Philanthropy Month with the launch of our donor store , hosting a few engagements and supporting Black businesses in our community! Continue reading for more! By now, you have seen or heard …

Last week, we announced our first Intergenerational Co-leadership team featuring MetroMorphosis Founder and Chief Executive Catalyst Raymond A. Jetson and Sustainability Catalyst Sherreta Harrison (read more below). As we continue to celebrate Black Philanthropy Month, we want to highlight the importance of supporting Black-led organizations.  While the Intergenerational Co-leadership model enhances our ability to be thoughtful when observing our communities and designing impactful interventions.It does …

MetroMorphosis is taking its leadership into the future with the announcement of our first co leadership team. Back in September 2020, Raymond A. Jetson, Founder and Chief Executive Catalyst, began co-leading the organization with Sherreta Harrison, long-time MetroMorphosis executive. After some initial success, we are excited to share the organization’s official shift to the intergenerational co leadership model. What makes this model unique is …