The Heritage Salon Legacy Giving Circle is dedicated to supporting the preservation, sustainability, and vitality of Black museums, historic homes, and historic sites—especially small to mid sized institutions that often operate with limited resources. Guided by the values of preservation, integrity, excellence, relational connection, and responsibility, we pool our collective resources to protect Black history, strengthen these organizations, and ensure their stories and spaces remain vibrant for generations to come. Our work is rooted in a “trust-based philanthropic” approach that honors the expertise of the organizations we support and reimagines how grant making can be done with care, respect, and partnership.
Inspiration Behind the Heritage Salon Legacy Giving Circle
Bethune Circle #1 Jacksonville, Florida
The Heritage Salon Legacy Giving Circle (HSLGC) was created to carry forward the mission of Heritage Salon by moving from advocacy to intentional, collective action. Rooted in the powerful tradition of Black club women—whose leadership strengthened communities, expanded opportunity, and fueled philanthropy—this giving circle honors a lineage of women who gave boldly and organized strategically. Jada Wright Greene draws deeply from this history, particularly the legacy of Madam C. J. Walker, Maggie L. Walker, and Ada M. Lee, Founder of Bethune Circle #1.
Jada’s own experience with Bethune Circle #1 in Jacksonville, Florida, where dedicated men and women pooled their resources to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Bethune Cookman University students. The Giving Circle continues that tradition of women led generosity, mobilizing shared purpose and shared power to preserve and uplift Black museums, historic homes, and historic sites.
A giving circle is a community of people who pool their resources, knowledge, and networks to support causes they care about. As Philanthropy Together describes it, a giving circle brings together individuals with shared values to make a collective impact.
The Heritage Salon Legacy Giving Circle brings together at least 25 men and women who are committed to collective giving and meaningful impact. Membership is invitation only or by recommendation by a current member, ensuring a thoughtful, diverse community of supporters who believes in the mission and ready to make impact.
Members contribute a minimum annual gift of $400, with tiered options available, and a modest administrative fee that supports Circle operations. With only two to three virtual gatherings each year, participation is designed to be accessible and manageable.
All funds are administered by the Community Foundation of Greensboro, reinforcing transparency and trusted stewardship. Members offer their time, talent, and treasure in ways that feel natural and sustainable—through connection, encouragement, and shared purpose—helping strengthen Black institutions across the country.
If you’re ready to join this powerful community committed to sustaining our institutions, reach out to Founder, Jada Wright-Greene at jada@heritagesalon.org.
You can also support our mission through a direct contribution to the fund—your gift strengthens the organizations that need us most. Make a donation and help carry this legacy forward.
It is a modern expression of a timeless truth: when we come together, communities are transformed and history is protected for generations to come.
The Heritage Salon Legacy Giving Circle is powered by women, but welcomes all people who believe in preserving Black history and strengthening the institutions that carry our stories forward. Your contribution directly fuels this mission, helping us provide meaningful support to organizations that need it most. All donations are administered by the Community Foundation of Greensboro, ensuring trusted stewardship and transparent management. Contributions are sent directly to the Foundation, where they are safeguarded and prepared for grantmaking that creates real impact.
If you are moved to support this work directly and the building of HSLGC, please contact Founder, Jada Wright-Greene, jada@heritagesalon.org to make a direct contribution.
The Heritage Salon Legacy Giving Circle focuses on supporting short‑term, high‑impact needs that help small to mid‑sized Black museums, historic homes, and cultural organizations strengthen their capacity and sustainability. Our goal is to provide flexible, meaningful support that enables institutions to preserve, interpret, and uplift Black history and culture in ways that matter to their communities.
We prioritize funding for:
Organizations may apply for funding by invitation only, allowing us to be intentional in our outreach—building relationships, learning deeply about an organization’s work, and prioritizing those already demonstrating meaningful impact.
This approach also helps us manage capacity so each invited application receives thoughtful review and support.
Eligible applicants:
Invitations will be distributed in late Fall, and awards will be announced each February.
Questions about eligibility may be directed to info@heritagesalon.org
Jada Wright-Greene, Founder
Jada Wright-Greene is the nationally recognized Black museum activist, a public historian, writer, philanthropist, and independent museum professional with more than 25 years of experience across museums, nonprofits, and arts education. Jada’s work centers on Black history and preservation, with extensive research on museums, historic homes, and historic sites, including her work on the Malcolm X homesite in Lansing, Michigan. Through her research, she collected oral history from Yvonne Little, sister of Malcolm X.
Jada is the author of Florida’s Historic African American Homes, the first and only work to preserve and uplift the stories of Florida’s most influential Black‑owned homes and the visionaries behind them—such as Eartha White, A.L. Lewis, and Mary McLeod Bethune—drawing on her own deep Florida roots to uplift their legacy. Most recently, Jada has made history by raising nearly $1 million for the Manasota branch of Association for the Study of African American Life, History, and Culture as the organization’s first Executive Director.
Jada earned a B.A. in Political Science from Bethune-Cookman University, a M.A. in Urban & Regional Planning and a Certificate in Museum Studies, from Michigan State University, making her the first Black woman to complete the Museum Studies program. She went on to earn a M.A. degree in Museum Studies and a certification in Nonprofit Management from Johns Hopkins University. She completed her educational journey with a M.A. in History from Jackson State University.
Dr. Ashley Preston, Founding Member
Dr. Ashley Preston is a prominent historian, author, and tenured Associate Professor of History at Howard University, specializing in African Diaspora history and public history. She is best known for her expertise on the activism of Black women and Pan-Africanism.
Dr. Ashley Preston has authored numerous publications and scholarly works that illuminate the depth and influence of Black women’s activism. Through her sustained and groundbreaking study of Mary McLeod Bethune, she has become widely recognized as a leading Bethune Scholar, celebrated for her expertise, insight, and unwavering commitment to preserving and interpreting Bethune’s legacy.
Dr. Preston holds a Ph.D. in African Diaspora/Public History from Howard University, an M.A. from Temple University, and a B.S. from Bowie State University. As an advocate for families with children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she is the founder of Carter G. Cares, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Dr. Preston and her husband, Marcellas Preston, the organization exists to educate, empower, and assist families with children in the NICU, while also raising awareness about prematurity and high‑risk pregnancy.
Dr. Tara Y. White, Founding Member
Dr. Tara Y. White is a distinguished public historian, museum professional, and educator whose career spans nearly three decades in museums, historic sites, archives, and higher education. Her professional background includes more than 25 years of leadership roles in cultural institutions, including positions with Alabama State University, the American Association for State and Local History, and the Alabama Historical Commission—where she directed both the Alabama State Capitol and the Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station, now the Freedom Rides Museum.
A proud Alabama native, she specializes in Black history, women’s history, Southern history, and public history, bringing deep expertise and lived perspective to her scholarship and teaching.
Dr. White graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with her B.S. in biology and chemistry prior to her time at the Cooperstown Graduate Program where she earned a M.A. in Museum Studies and she concluded her journey with earning her Ph.D. at Middle Tennessee State University.
Dr. Tara Y. White currently serves as an Assistant Professor and the Associate Director for Archives and Cultural Heritage Services for The Levi Watkins Learning Center at Alabama State University.
If you’re ready to join a community that preserves Black history and institutions nationwide, while making intentional impact with collective action, connect with Founder, Jada Wright-Greene at jada@heritagesalon.org