The Village That Makes the Doctorate Possible for Black Women. And Never Lets Her Walk It Alone.
The Sustainers Circle
Too many Black women walk into doctoral programs without a community waiting for them, without a circle of sisters who have already traveled that road. Cohort Sistas exists to change that, from a scholar's first campus visit through completion and into leadership. When you join the Sustainers Circle, your monthly gift is what keeps that circle unbroken.
Where sisterhood meets sustained change
The Sustainers Circle is our community of monthly donors who believe the pipeline of Black women scholars and leaders must never narrow. Monthly giving is a statement: I'm in this for the long haul. Your recurring gift lets us stay beside a scholar from her first campus visit through her dissertation defense and into her first leadership role, without gaps. One-time gifts meet a moment. Sustainers build a movement.
$10
$0.33/day
Connects a scholar to the community and its resources for a full month
$25
$0.83/day
Sponsors a seat in a Sista Circle or office-hours session
$50
$1.67/day
Brings a workshop or training to a cohort of scholars
$100
$3.33/day
Helps power a full year of academic and well-being support for a scholar
She didn't do it alone — because you showed up
Watch what becomes possible when a Black woman doctoral scholar has a full circle of support behind her.
What You Receive
Your Seat at the Circle: a warm welcome, including a handwritten card from our team.
The Circle Note: a short, personal note written just for Sustainers each month — not the general newsletter.
Your Annual Impact Report: once a year, showing how the Circle's collective giving moved the needle.
A Seat at Community Moments: an invitation to gather with scholars and the team at select events through the year.
The Circle Doesn't Close. It Grows. Join Us.
Somewhere right now, a Black woman is deciding whether she belongs in a doctoral program. She is brilliant. She is ready. What she doesn't have yet is a village. You can be that village.
4,500+
scholars across 48 states & 40+ countries
96%
SCMP scholars persisted or completed their PhDs
92%
program participants report increased confidence