T.D. Jakes wants to change the world, one nonprofit at a time. The T.D. Jakes Foundation, an organization that aims to bridge the gap in underserved and underrepresented communities by driving economic mobility, educational access, and workforce readiness, has revamped its T7 Summit and will put significant funding behind nonprofits working in several sectors. And this time, the opportunity known as the Social Challenge Grant is open to the public.
“We understand that some funds are drying up, and it’s a strain on the people who are giving,” Kelley Cornish, president and CEO of the T.D. Jakes Foundation, told EBONY. “We are looking for nonprofits that have some of the focus areas that we have, and then we’re looking to fund them, to help with their reach and impact.”
Over the past year, the foundation has been expanding its impact by building partnerships with nonprofits across the country. “We know we don’t do anything on our own; we have to do it through partners to scale,” said Cornish. “We’re really out to find more partners to help accomplish our mission around financial inclusion, workforce readiness, and educational access, community transformation and well-being … In the past, we only did it by invitation. This time it’s open. So if you’re a nonprofit 501(c)(3), you can apply online through August 23.”
That opportunity is crucial for nonprofits today. According to reports, one-third of U.S. nonprofits reported government-funding disruptions in the first part of 2025, which included funding losses, freezes, delays or stop-work orders. For those nonprofits, government funding represented about 42% of their revenue. And in March 2025, 400 grants totaling $1.7 billion that the administration categorized as DEI or environmental-justice grants were canceled. That is something that the T7 Summit wants to address.
Birthed out of Bishop Jakes’ International Leadership Summit, the Thriving 7 (T7) Summit is dedicated to bringing the information and resources people need to run a successful and financially stable nonprofit across the globe.
“T7 Summit: Seven Continents, One World. We named it that because our chairman has impacted every continent in the world, and being his legacy organization, we are positioning to keep this going in perpetuity,” Cornish explained. “The T7 Summit is really a place to discuss social impact, create a community around it, provide information and resources.”
Finalists of the Social Challenge Grant will be invited to unveil their requests at the conference, which takes place November 12 to 14 in Atlanta. “We’ll have our pitch competition … nonprofits haven’t had the opportunity to really pitch to someone and show their passion.”
For people and organizations who attend the summit, there’s the opportunity to expand their knowledge to more efficiently manage their nonprofits, like using AI to write grant proposals.
Cornish hopes participants walk away from the Summit with a sense of accomplishment, education and partnership. “Know that they have a champion through the T.D. Jakes Foundation, and have a better picture about what funding looks like,” she shared.
“By attending the conference, you can learn about how to keep going, and other pockets to look in. A lot of people don’t have their finances together, their case for support ready, their positioning statement to get funding. Those attending will walk away with support, information, community, and, I believe, courage.”
Learn more about the Social Grant Challenge and the T7 Summit.