Built for us. By us.

The Black Trust Fund is a collective within the Black community that centers around 8 pillars: Accountability, Belonging, Courage, Discipline, Equity, Group Economics, Heritage and Trust. As a mutual aid network, we embody all of these pillars to create hope through the powerful application of reciprocity and resources. It is our belief that our collective dedication is a force within itself that yields hope through funding both our community's needs and economic aspirations together.

The Black Trust Fund is the name of our community, not a legal trust fund. TBTF 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 trusting reciprocity will be exercised in return when their time comes. TBTF is not a financial trust, an investment vehicle, or an estate planning instrument.

Crowdfunding asks strangers to care. TBTF is a private community that already committed before the need existed. With crowdfunding, you post your hardship publicly and hope the algorithm shows it to people who might donate. With TBTF, you are already part of a community that has agreed, in advance, to show up for each other. No public posts. No performing your pain. No hoping strangers find your story.

Members join TBTF and complete a 30-day formation journey through the 8 Irrevocable Pillars. Each member sets a giving wallet pledge, a monthly commitment to show up for others. When a member faces a qualifying financial need, they submit a case. After review and approval, the community funds them directly through structured giving rounds. Contributors send funds directly to the recipient's CashApp handle, peer to peer, with no middleman. Every case is human-reviewed. Every disbursement is documented.

The 8 Irrevocable Pillars are the covenant that every TBTF member walks through during their 30-day formation journey: Accountability, Belonging, Courage, Discipline, Equity, Group Economics, Heritage, and Trust. They are not rules. They are the shared foundation that makes mutual aid work at scale. Every member who has ever received funding has walked this same path.

Yes. TBTF is a private membership mutual aid network, a model with deep historical roots in the Black community and a recognized legal structure. Members contribute directly to each other peer to peer. TBTF facilitates the process but does not hold, pool, or redistribute funds. Think of us as the infrastructure, not the bank.

Yes, upon official launch, we will ask every committed member to join our community officially. Your monthly or annual membership fee covers access to the TBTF platform and community, including your pillar journey, your giving wallet, your community profile, and all platform features. We also entail a coordination fee which is separate and only charged when your case is accepted for round scheduling.

Cases must represent a genuine financial emergency or need, such as car repairs, medical bills, rent gaps, funeral expenses, utility disconnections, or similar urgent situations. Cases are reviewed for eligibility, authenticity, and alignment with TBTF's community standards. Frivolous or fraudulent submissions are grounds for membership termination.

The coordination fee is paid to TBTF for case administration and platform operations. It is a non-refundable administrative fee charged only when your case is accepted for round scheduling. It covers round coordination, proof review, disbursement tracking, and platform operations. The coordination fee starts at $25 and is tiered based on your requested goal amount. Payment does not guarantee funding or a specific round outcome.

Funds are sent directly from contributing members to your CashApp account. TBTF never holds or transfers your money. When a funding wave is activated, community members receive a notification and send their contribution directly to your CashApp handle. If you have a CashApp account, you can receive community funding.

After 30 days of active membership, you become eligible to submit a case. Once submitted, our community reviews it. If approved, you pay a coordination fee to enter the active funding round. From there, contributing members send funds directly to your CashApp handle, peer to peer, with no middleman. Timing depends on the community funding cycle, but approved cases are prioritized in the order they enter the queue.

Case funding amounts are determined by your stated need and the community's available giving capacity. Coordination fees start at $25 and are tiered based on your requested goal amount. Full details are provided to members upon case approval.

No. Community funding is not a loan. There is no repayment obligation. However, members who receive funding are asked to voluntarily return 10% of what they received to TBTF's community account on CashApp as a gesture of reciprocity. This is never required and never enforced. It is strictly voluntary.

After receiving funds, you are required to submit proof of use within 30 days showing the funds were used for the stated purpose. This is a screenshot, receipt, or other documentation. It is required for continued platform access and future case eligibility. Proof of use is reviewed privately, not shared publicly.

We work with your community to close the gap. TBTF monitors round performance and works to ensure cases receive meaningful support. If a round does not reach its full goal, you receive whatever has been contributed and your case may be considered for a subsequent round. No round outcome is guaranteed.

There is no set limit on how many times a member can receive community funding. Each case is reviewed independently. Members must fulfill their proof of use requirement after prior funding and remain in good standing before submitting a new case. TBTF is built for the long term. Members who show up consistently for others will always have the community in their corner.

The 30-day formation period is required before case submission eligibility. This exists to protect the community from abuse and to ensure every member who receives funding has contributed to the community first. If you are in an immediate crisis, we encourage you to explore local community resources while you complete your formation journey.

Yes. When a funding wave is activated, you will know the first name of the member you are supporting, their case category, and the amount you are contributing. We do not reveal full names, addresses, or private case details. Privacy and dignity are central to how TBTF operates. You give to a real person in your community, not an anonymous fund.

Yes. TBTF is a private membership community. Your case details, financial situation, and personal information are never shared publicly. Contributing members see only a first name and case category. Your full profile is visible only to TBTF's administrative team for operational purposes.

TBTF uses a combination of human review, AI-assisted case screening, member formation requirements, proof of use verification, and contribution consistency tracking to maintain community integrity. The 30-day formation period, coordination fee, and proof of use requirement work together to protect members from bad actors. Cases that appear fraudulent are denied and the member's account may be reviewed or terminated.

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

No. TBTF 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.

TBTF was founded by R.W. 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 TBTF community rounds. TBTF 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.

Restore The Trust is TBTF's community-facing program serving Black youth and returning citizens through reentry support, education, and financial stability initiatives. TBTF may allocate a portion of its operating revenue to this program. It is the social mission that grounds everything we build.