This Year, We Built Foundation.

In 2024–2025, Elara launched with urgency and clarity:

• Created the Ascend Fellowship, a leadership accelerator for HBCU students and alumni

• Laid the groundwork for the HBCU Futures Summit, a national convening launching Fall 2025 in Washington, D.C.

• Designed the Elara Civic Corps, a public service initiative to mobilize future changemakers in policy, education, and advocacy

• Initiated the Fireside Chat Series, where students engage directly with executives, founders, and cultural leaders in candid dialogue

• Built a growing network of supporters, mentors, partners, and donors — all committed to building long-term infrastructure

The Work Ahead Is Clear.

We’re not scaling a project — we’re scaling a platform.
Our focus now is depth, reach, and repeatability. We aim to:

• Support 100+ students through our programs in the next 12 months

• Launch a multi-year scholarship fund for HBCU students

• Expand our content, policy, and civic impact footprint

• Partner with institutions — not just individuals — to embed Elara’s model into national conversations and resource pipelines

My Personal Note of Thanks.

This work is only possible because of you — our early believers, funders, students, alumni, and strategic allies. You gave us credibility before we had headlines. You gave us partnership before we had a platform.

Elara was never about one person or one moment. It was always about systems — built by us, for us, with lasting consequence.

We hope you’ll stay with us as we continue to fund what’s next — and build what we’ve always deserved.

Day-to-day operations continue to be led with care and clarity by our Executive Director, Dahnisha Hannah, whose leadership has brought these ideas to life in real time.

With purpose,