Nonprofit partner- Meet Future Front ATX!

I am SO excited to introduce you to the wonderful team at Future Front Texas and even more excited to be partnering with this organization long term. Jane and the team have been such an instrumental part of my growth as an entrepreneur but also as a young extrovert newly moved to Texas. When I started this company, I new I wanted to have an impact in the community. By partnering with Future Front to help fund their community scholarships, we are all able to invest in our community and the growth and well-being of the humans within it.  This organization is incredible and has had a major impact in Texas over the years. Please welcome Future Front Texas to the Blow Candle Co. family! 

 

  1. Who is Future Front Texas?- How long have you been going?

  • Future Front Texas is a 501c3 nonprofit, homegrown in Austin, Texas. We nurture creativity, community-building and professional resilience in Texas.

  • We started as a grassroots meet-up series called Boss Babes ATX (bbatx) in 2015. We are run by a four-person staff and a network of amazing volunteers, each committed to showing up for the spaces we want to see in the world. 

  1. How did you get started? What moved you to get started? 

  • We started as a blog and a hashtag, originating from a study our founder Jane Hervey started at UT Austin during the fall of 2014. She was frustrated by the lack of space for women in creative industries to connect, share resources and support one another. And she found out in the study that everyone else was, too. So, she decided to invite all of the women she interviewed together at a meet-up called #bossbabesatx. That little event obviously turned into something bigger than expected. In the last six years, our team has grown to a staff of four and a volunteer leadership group of 15. 

  • This summer, we are reopening with a new name—Future Front Texas. We envision a Texas that wants to see new voices at the front. we’re here for a world that values curiosity, creative leadership, community-building and homegrown ideas. 

  1. How does  Future Front Texas support our community? Why is this important?

  • Future Front Texas supports our community by prioritizing resource-sharing and work to build coalitions between pre-existing organizations and thought leaders that strengthen paths of accessibility for women and nonbinary creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders. We also work to promote the visibility of new, emerging and re-emerging women and queer people in the arts and various branches of creative activity. This is important because we hope to make it easier to find mentors, collaborators and resources and share stories that nurture potential for real, representative culture change in Texas. 

  1. What type of programs/events do you organize?

  • Alongside our members, collaborators and partners, we cultivate spaces where women and queer creatives, founders and leaders can grow together. Currently, we produce The Front Market and Festival, a year-round learning club, as well as multiple community-care initiatives.

  1. How have you had to adjust during quarantine? How have your programs had to pivot?

  • Throughout 2020, we pivoted to virtual-only events and began adjusting to open-air, outdoor formats. We thought the pandemic would scrub us out due to financial difficulties, but our community showed up for us, and we had some major growth moments including the launch of various funds and new partnerships. 

  1. What are your plans/goals for Future Front Texas in the next year?

  • We hope to close out The Front Market and Festival, produce membership-led events and meet-ups and collaborate with more community organizers. 

  1. How will the donated funds impact Future Front Texas?

  • The donated funds will go towards the Community Leaders of Color Mental Health Fund, which is ongoing resource for Black, Indigenous and non-white leaders of color pursuing racial justice in creative, community, business and work settings, and The Creative Future of Texas Fund, which aims to support women and LGBTQ+ creatives, small business owners, community leaders and emerging entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas. 

  1. Community asks- what are resources you need that we can highlight to the community? Professionals to come and speak, donated items, workshop facilitations, facility donations, etc.

  • You can donate to our programs. It takes $250,000 per year to what we do, and every dollar toward those expenses helps us survive. You can also volunteer with us. When you donate your time to Future Front Texas by volunteering at an event, you help us reduce the cost of our programs and keep both ticket prices, booth fees and other things that our community pays for more affordable. For more ways to get involved, you can visit https://futurefronttexas.org/comethrough.