Liz Thompson, renowned philanthropist and co-founder and CEO of the Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education (CAFÉ) Group, shared her expertise at the Mays Speaker Series on the campus of Indiana University-Indianapolis (IUI).
The Mays Speaker Series was hosted by the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy to encourage attendees to embrace community-driven leadership and leverage resources for meaningful change. The Diversity Speaker Series focuses on broadening the discussion on philanthropy and how it intersects with diversity, equity and inclusion.
As founder and CEO of The CAFÉ Group, Thompson and her husband, Don, have empowered countless nonprofits. Founded in 2014, the company is committed to empowering leaders of color through mentorship, networking and funding.
“There have been so many different examples of where philanthropy made a difference in my life, that I decided I wanted it to now make a difference for so many others,” Don said. “So, that’s part of my origin story.”
Don and Liz connected in January of 1981. Shortly after meeting, they realized they both grew up on the same street on the north side of Chicago, Cleveland Avenue.
“As it turned out, I grew up at 952 North Cleveland and (Don) grew up at 1342 North Cleveland,” Liz said. “We grew up on the same street, four blocks apart in Chicago.”
After they were married, Liz and Don started their foundation, where they were quietly writing checks to support organizations and education groups.
“A friend of ours approached us and suggested that we needed to do our philanthropy a little more out loud and not as quiet,” Liz said. “And the rationale was, young people need to see you being philanthropists.”
From there, The CAFÉ Group was born, Liz and Don started to invest more publicly and Liz wondered if there was something more they could do for people like them.
“I said to Don, ‘Honey, I think we need to think about starting an initiative where we can invest in Black leaders, specifically Black leaders, because we’re Black and we understand some of the challenges that are associated with being black leaders trying to raise money,’” Liz said.
In 2019, Liz and Don hosted a pilot dinner, thinking they would have 20 people come and listen to the idea of the project. The 20 expected people turned into 119, and the 1954 Project was born.
Named after the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, the 1954 Project leaned into the idea that the Supreme Court decision meant that thousands of Black educators lost their jobs when Black schools closed. The project invests in Black leaders and educators to deepen their impact on the lives of young people.
“The dream of the 1954 Project is designed to introduce young people to the world of philanthropy but through a career lens,” Liz said.
For more information about the 1954 project, The CAFÉ Group or Liz and Don’s work, visit thecafe.org to learn more.
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Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
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