Built for us. By us.

The Black Trust Fund is the name of our community — not a legal trust fund. BTF is a private membership mutual aid network. The word Trust in our name reflects the foundational principle of our community: that members trust each other with their financial vulnerability and show up for each other with accountability and proof. BTF is not a financial trust, an investment vehicle, or an estate planning instrument.

Members join BTF and complete a 30-day pillar journey. Each member sets a giving wallet pledge — a monthly commitment to show up for others. When a member needs community support they submit a case. After review and approval the community funds them directly through structured giving rounds. Every case is human-reviewed. Every disbursement is documented.

Your monthly or annual membership fee covers access to the BTF platform and community — your pillar journey, your giving wallet, your community profile, and all platform features. The coordination fee is separate and only charged when your case is accepted for round scheduling.

We work with your community to close the gap. BTF may also support select underperforming rounds through our internal Community Reserve at our discretion. No round outcome is guaranteed, and the BTF community will show up as best they can.

No. BTF is built with an unapologetic focus on the economic restoration of the Black community. Anyone who aligns with our model, respects our infrastructure, and believes in true financial reciprocity is welcome to participate. Let's be entirely transparent about our blueprint: The Black Trust Fund was engineered to solve a specific, multi-generational gap in wealth aggregation and reinvestment within our community. We are open to allies, and our capital, our strategy, and our measurable outputs are strictly dedicated to ensuring the hands that have historically financed everyone else's institutions are finally holding their own wealth.

Yes. Yet it isn't in the way you might think. The Black Trust Fund wasn't created for the Black church — it was created with it in mind. It was built with the realization that decades of community giving have perfected the mechanics of extraction without mastering the ethics of reinvestment. We aren't here to subsidize an institution that has defaulted on reciprocity. We are pivoting that same spirit of collective stewardship toward a vehicle that actually yields a material dividend. We are helping the people who built the church by giving them a pragmatic place to finally build their own wealth.

BTF was founded by RW McZorn. Every decision that affects a member's standing, funding, or community access is made by a human being. The platform is supported by a team of legal, operational, and community advisors. Technology assists those decisions — it never replaces them.

Tax Notice: Recipients are solely responsible for determining any tax obligations arising from funds received through BTF community rounds. BTF does not provide tax advice, does not represent that any payment is taxable or nontaxable, and makes no guarantee regarding tax treatment. Members should consult a qualified tax advisor regarding their individual circumstances.

BTF membership is open to anyone 18 or older who aligns with our values of community, reciprocity, and financial dignity.

The coordination fee is a non-refundable administrative platform fee charged only when your case is accepted for round scheduling. It covers round coordination, proof review, disbursement tracking, and platform operations. Payment does not guarantee funding or a specific round outcome. In limited circumstances BTF may waive or reduce the coordination fee at its sole discretion.