Social Justice Fund: Black Dream Escape

The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Social Justice Fund awarded $25,000 to Black Dream Escape in 2021. The organization was created to educate, guide and soothe people into a rested state using original music and meditation scripts. 

Black Dream Escape is a pop-up therapeutic rest experience that provides a space for Black, Indigenous and queer people to promote and experience quality sleep practices. Since 2019, the organization has provided guided meditations and rest-affirmations for participants. Black Dream Escape was created after a 2015 study found that Black people were five times more likely than white people to get “short sleep,” or less than six hours per night. Black Dream Escape works to shift the narrative around sleep, rest and healing in Black, Indigenous and queer communities by challenging stereotypes, creating rest space-installments throughout the city and providing workshops that emphasize the importance of quality sleep.  

The Social Justice Fund focuses on providing support for organizations engaged in advocacy, mobilization and healing work. Since its launch in 2018, SJF has awarded many organizations with necessary funding.