Momentum Summit 2026: What This Year’s Summit Taught Me

Collection of images from Momentum Summit 2026

Momentum Summit on Martha’s Vineyard in August 2024, started as a one day gathering at the Strand Theatre. We were slowly recovering after George Floyd’s murder, our focus was philanthropy and leadership, and most of the speakers were from Minnesota. On that summer afternoon, we aimed to amplify the work that we felt was important, relevant, and collaborative.

Now in our third year, we’ve expanded significantly to bring in speakers from around the country, including Van Jones, Rashad Robinson, and Jotaka Eady, who served as our Mistress of Ceremonies. This year attracted more sponsor support than ever before.  When I dropped off our Momentum Summit poster at the historic Strand Theater and rolled it open, Steve Capers said, “Wow! Best Buy is coming, and Van Jones, too? A lot of people have a challenge getting sponsors. That’s impressive! ” We both took note of how far we had come.

In our first year, our sponsors included the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Jeremiah Program; Voice, Vision, Value; HBCU Executive Leadership Institute; Black Joy; and the (now-sunset) Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity.

This year we welcomed Best Buy; Planned Parenthood North Central States and Metropolitan New Jersey; League of Industry Moms; iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility; Sanneh Foundation; Camelback Ventures; the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; NAACP Legal Defense Fund; and the McKnight Foundation.

Meredith Moore with Wenda Weekes Moore, past chair of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and inaugural recipient of the Momentum Award at Dining with Deb, an annual event celebrating Black women. Momentum Summit was a 2026 sponsor and provided attendees with fans to help beat the August heat on Martha’s Vineyard.

Lessons That Drive Growth

With so many events happening across the Vineyard, we believe every discussion we host needs a clear purpose and a call to action. Otherwise, what are we adding? And we aren’t alone in that. Programming on the Vineyard felt more socially conscious this year. It was less of a party-for-the-sake-of-a-party mentality and more, “Let’s have a party and let’s donate. Let’s acknowledge the serious times we’re living in.”

These days, I’m thinking differently about partnership. It’s not just financial. I’m grateful to ALY Media Relations, led by Angela Lynn Young, for bringing in Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, and connecting us with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Reputation matters, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund team found us via our website and reached out.

Aligned relationships open doors that weren’t open to us before.

Temi F. Bennett, President and CEO of iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility, is another great example. Her organization brought forward the film Diminished Returns: The Black Wealth Gap in Washington, D.C., which we showcased in 2025, and this year we’re proud to continue partnering with them on other high-quality content through our app. That’s the kind of partnership I love to build.

One thing that has made a difference in how we’ve been received is that we’re celebrating Black Philanthropy Month and Black Business Month, in part, by using local vendors like the Strand Theatre and India Rose Collective. We partner with/co-sponsor other organizations’ events, including Martha’s Vineyard Black Fashion Week and Black Business Directory, Dining with Deb, and the Black Economic Forum. This support helps bolster the presenters they can bring, as well as the programming they can offer. We promote their events, encourage our Momentum attendees to check out the Film Festival, and support an array of local businesses. The goal is for the whole ecosystem to benefit.

Meredith Moore with India Rose of India Rose Collective, the lifestyle retail space and cultural hub that hosted two intimate, invitation-only MOMENTUM Conversations. India Rose also curates the Martha’s Vineyard Black-Owned Business Directory, sponsored this year by Leverette Weekes Communications, which received special recognition in the directory’s Founder’s Letter.

The Local Wins

One beautiful win has been building our relationships with local, women-run businesses. In my first year, I met our driver, Dani, when she drove me to the airport. She was a single mom launching her car-service business, and she worried about making a mistake or getting a bad review, since the August season is so critical for business owners on the Vineyard.

I remember reassuring her and affirming her by sharing my own experience as an entrepreneur, which also included a leap of faith. I told her I could envision her business thriving. And this year, we were able to give her a contract for a full week of transportation services. When I saw her, she told me that it had helped get her business off the ground, and that Momentum had already led to additional contracts.

Something similar happened with India Rose. When we booked the space, India was in the midst of a renovation, transforming her space from a well-known, sports-focused store into a collective of Black-owned brands. I had to commit before I saw the results, but I trusted her vision, and it turned out beautiful. Our sponsors were very pleased.

Those are the kinds of relationships that feel mutually beneficial and aligned with our mission.

Looking Ahead

Looking to next August, we’re committing to a one-week format and plan to bring the film showcase back, as we did in the second year, while partnering with sponsors to extend our programming beyond the Vineyard to year-round.

Ultimately, my vision is for Momentum to stay grounded in purpose by creating meaningful partnerships, supporting business leaders across philanthropy, and bringing people together for conversations that lead to scalable action.

Momentum Summit 2027 on Martha’s Vineyard will be August 10–12. Hope to see you there.

Meredith Moore

Momentum Summit organizer Meredith Moore with Mistress of Ceremonies Jotaka Eaddy, who helped guide the conversations, connections, and moments that shaped Momentum Summit 2026: The Power of Possible.