Management Leadership for Tomorrow

MLT Black Equity at Work Certification is a new initiative of the Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization founded in 2002. To date, the organization has helped advance the academic and professional careers of more than 8,000 people of color; it also partners with more than 150 leading companies, social sector organizations, and universities to strengthen their recruitment and retention of diverse talent. The goal of MLT Black Equity at Work Certification is to provide a clear standard, support and the recognition necessary to help employers rigorously pursue Black equity. This certification initiative aims to set an achievable standard for what “good” looks like in terms of policies, practices and performance related to Black equity. Developed in partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the standard rests on five Black equity pillars: (1) Increasing Black representation at every level of an organization; (2) Preventing Black-White pay inequities and providing living wages and valuable benefits; (3) Inclusive, Anti-Racist Work Environment; (4) Proportionate spending with Black-owned businesses; (5) Annual contributions and in-kind support for non-profit organizations that increase Black equity and allocation of cash deposits with Black-owned or focused financial institutions. Throughout the certification process, Management Leadership for Tomorrow will support employers with templates, benchmark data, feedback, peer learning, consultation sessions and a directory of vetted vendors. The Foundation's grant will help build up required staff and technology for the project. By year 2023, Management Leadership for Tomorrow projects that it will be certifying 1,000 organizations and be able to cover substantially all of its project costs through certification fees and other earned income.