The foundation behind the Fellowship, and the reason it exists.
Project2053 is a nonprofit foundation built on a single, data-backed projection: that by 2053, the median net worth for Black Americans could reach zero. We chose to build an institution, not a program.
Three convictions that shaped everything we built.
“Economic inequity is a structural problem, and structural business models are the most durable response to it.”
“Sustainable change cannot depend on the generosity of any one donor, administration, or economic cycle.”
“The organizations best positioned to close the wealth gap are the ones built to outlast the conversation about it.”
A nonprofit that owns a business. Intentionally.
Most foundations raise money and grant it out. Project2053 raises money and builds with it. The Catalyst Fellowship operates as a for-profit LLC, attracting corporate investment on business terms, generating cohort revenue, and channeling returns back into the Foundation's mission. This structure exists because the problem is too large and too urgent to be solved by charity alone.
Why Project2053?
The moment I encountered the projection, everything changed.
I founded Project2053 because I believe the next generation of workforce innovation will be defined by how we invest in people.
Throughout my career, I’ve led global initiatives for some of the world’s most respected technology companies, designing programs that brought together executives, partners, governments, and communities to solve complex challenges at scale. Those experiences taught me an important lesson. Organizations succeed when they invest in people, yet we continue to overlook one of the greatest barriers to individual and economic growth: educational debt.
Student debt shapes where people work, whether they stay, when they buy homes, if they start businesses, and ultimately whether they build wealth. Most existing solutions offer temporary relief. I believe we need to create lasting opportunity.
That belief led me to found Project2053.
We are building a new model that helps employers strengthen retention, develop future leaders, and create lasting economic mobility for their workforce. By combining student loan assistance with financial education, mentorship, leadership development, and community engagement, we help organizations invest in their people while creating measurable business impact.
I’ve spent my career turning ambitious ideas into scalable programs. Now I’m applying that same discipline to one of the defining economic challenges of our time. My goal isn’t simply to build another nonprofit. It’s to build an institution that transforms how employers invest in talent and how individuals build wealth.
I envision a future where financial wellness is recognized as a business strategy, not just an employee benefit. A future where companies understand that investing in people produces stronger organizations, stronger communities, and a stronger economy.
That is the future Project2053 is building.
Ready to fund the infrastructure that makes it possible?
Philanthropic gifts to the Project2053 Foundation fund the governance, early-stage capital, and operational foundation that keeps the model anchored to its purpose. Your gift does not run a program. It runs the engine.