Honoring Gamechangers
Kicking off with a celebration of Black Philanthropy Month and running through GivingTuesday, CFMT is recognizing 21 Nashville Gamechangers—visionary leaders who have made significant contributions to the community. These individuals, ranging from nonprofit leaders to business executives, have demonstrated unparalleled creativity, courage, and commitment to enhancing the well-being of Nashville’s Black community.
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A 10+ year Learning & Organizational Development Executive and U.S. Army veteran, Darius McDonald serves as the Chief Operating Officer for The Nashville Black Market and Director of Membership Services for Tennessee Health Care Association. He has led scalable & strategic operations for government, education, non-profit, technology, and hospitality institutions across four nations. From serving in the United States Army Special Operations Command to corporate & community leadership, Darius has grown a passion to effectively lead/manage/develop people, organizations, curriculum, and culture with excellence & empathy. He serves as a Board Member of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association, and a member of both The Minority Business Advisory Council for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, and the Executive Committee for The National Museum of African American Music’s Jefferson Club. Darius is a native of Florida and descendant of deep south community leaders & civil-rights activists, with a desire to amplify black business and leadership.
What is your ideal future for Black giving and/or social finance
My ideal future for Black giving and/or social finance includes a pursuit of strategic restructuring of both policy and direct funding. Especially on the back end, It’s important that a healthy platform is established for this to grow and flourish generationally.
Therefore, I would like to see advocacy for policies that strengthen and promote economic equity for our people. This includes streamlined access to loans, grants, and tax incentives for Black-owned businesses, and continues into business education opportunities. (Which we see being done through several financial entities in Nashville locally!)
This type of framework rebuild would naturally transcend the immediate goals and result in more equitable healthcare, education, and even housing policies that directly impact the economic well-being of Black communities.
We would hope to experience significant increases in investment opportunities and platforms that intentionally prioritize Black-owned startups and diverse businesses. Common social finance mechanisms such as impact investing, crowdfunding, and venture capital funds dedicated to supporting Black entrepreneurs would be more realistic as community leaders led the charge in these opportunities — meaning that these investments would not only provide capital but also mentorship, networking opportunities, and other resources necessary for sustainable growth.
Ultimately, I believe the future of Black giving would involve much more community-driven philanthropy, where collective resources are pooled through both strategic “giving circles” and community foundations. These groups would provide insight for initiatives that directly impact our communities. Emphasis would be on grassroots involvement, ensuring that those who understand the community’s deepest needs are the ones making decisions about where the funds ultimately land.
