A Michigan 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Ypsilanti, MI
It Takes HER Village.
The HERizon Collective helps hardworking single mothers acquire a home, grow real financial security, and pass generational wealth on to their families.
How We Help
Four pillars, one path from surviving to thriving.
Homeownership
Helping HER own.
Wealth Building
Helping HER grow.
Educational Advancement
Investing in HER earning potential.
Legacy & Asset Protection
Helping HER protect and pass it on.
Our Year 1 Goals
These are what we're building toward in Year 1, not results yet — we'll report real numbers here as programs run.
About Us
It takes HER village.
Who this is for.
Women with income, but not enough income or access, to truly thrive rather than simply survive — that's who this organization exists for.
Mission
To help hardworking single mothers acquire a home, grow real financial security, protect what they build, and pass generational wealth on to their families — particularly those earning just above the federal poverty line who don't qualify for traditional public assistance.
Vision
A future where every single mother has a real, equitable path from surviving to thriving — where housing stability and generational wealth are not privileges reserved for the few, but a foundation every family can build on, protect, and hand down.
Our Approach
Four pillars, each with its own direct support.
Homeownership
Five free community programs in budgeting, credit, and homeownership, each paired with a free one-on-one coaching session — plus grants of up to $5,000 toward down payment and closing costs. Request a free 1:1 session →
Wealth Building
Free community programming in budgeting, credit, investing, and homeownership.
Educational Advancement
Scholarships of up to $5,000 for college, trade school, or professional certification.
Legacy & Asset Protection
Education and direct connections to partner attorneys, financial, and insurance professionals.
Our Impact
What we're building toward in Year 1.
These are Year 1 goals, not results yet — real numbers will replace these as programs run.
Meet the Founder
Samantha Brown
Founder & Executive Director, The HERizon Collective
“She had seen both realities, and she knew how few single mothers ever get access to the second. So, she built the village they deserve.”
Her Story
Samantha Brown is the Founder and Executive Director of The HERizon Collective, a Michigan 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping single mothers build generational wealth through homeownership, wealth-building education, and estate planning.
Samantha knows this mission in her bones. She is the daughter of a single mother and a single mother of four herself.
Samantha Brown was twenty-three, a senior at Clark Atlanta University, holding a freshly signed offer letter from a Fortune 100 company in one hand and the news that she was about to become a mother in the other. She didn’t have a plan for that. What she had was faith and a level of grit she didn’t yet know she possessed.
She spent the next fourteen years climbing the corporate ladder in program management and customer experience, leading teams, managing budgets north of $30 million, and raising her family through two divorces along the way.
In 2025, a layoff from corporate America became the turning point. Samantha had spent a lifetime watching, and then living, exactly what single mothers are up against: real barriers to homeownership, real gaps in support, and not nearly enough of a village to help close them. Along the way, she came to see what real security looks like: assets protected, plans in writing, and a foundation laid so that what one generation builds can carry the next. She had seen both realities, and she knew how few single mothers ever get access to the second. So, she built the village they deserve.
Why HERizon Collective
Through The HERizon Collective, Samantha is turning that experience into closing cost assistance, wealth-building education, and estate planning services for single mothers working to build the kind of security she and her mother both had to fight for. She believes every mother deserves a village: real access to resources, real wealth-building education, and a real plan, not just goodwill.
Samantha is a proud HBCU graduate of Clark Atlanta University and an active member of various community organizations. She is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a homeowner, a real estate investor, and a woman of faith.
She is HER.
Board of Directors
Our founding board.
Meet the founding Board of Directors of The HERizon Collective.
LaShele Harris
Board Member
[Professional title/employer, then 2–3 sentences on relevant expertise and why this mission matters to her.]
LaShell Warner
Board Member
[Professional title/employer, then 2–3 sentences on relevant expertise and why this mission matters to her.]
Nikole Howard-Whitsett
Board Member
[Professional title/employer, then 2–3 sentences on relevant expertise and why this mission matters to her.]
Our Programs
Free. Open to the community. No application required to attend.
All programming is $0 to attend — grants and scholarships below have their own criteria.Homeownership
Helping HER own. Five free programs, open to the whole community — no application required to attend: Personal Finance & Budgeting, Credit Fundamentals, Mortgage 101, Understanding Closing Costs, and Holistic Homeownership.
Separately, eligible single mothers can apply for a Closing Cost Assistance Grant of up to $5,000 toward down payment and closing costs, awarded quarterly — its own piece of the Homeownership pillar, with its own eligibility criteria and application process.
Wealth Building
Helping HER grow. Free, ongoing community programming in budgeting, credit, and investing — open to every mother in the community, not just grant or scholarship recipients — including a dedicated session on retirement accounts and long-term investing basics.
Educational Advancement
Investing in HER earning potential. An Education Scholarship of up to $5,000 toward college, trade school, or professional certification, awarded once a year ahead of the summer and fall terms — helping a mother grow her own earning power alongside her family's financial footing.
Legacy & Asset Protection
Helping HER protect and pass it on. A nine-part series covering wills, trusts, powers of attorney, home titling, insurance, beneficiaries, inheritance planning, financial safeguards, and liability — delivered by referral attorneys, insurance agents, and financial professionals, so what she builds stays protected and passes to her family.
Free 1:1 Support
Want individual help, not just the group session?
Every Homeownership program comes with the option of a free, individual follow-up with a HERizon coach — building a personal budget, reviewing credit, or mapping out next steps toward homeownership together. You don't need to attend a group session first to request one.
Thank you — we'll reach out within 2 business days to schedule your free session.In the meantime, feel free to come to any upcoming program.
Submitting this form emails hello@theherizoncollective.org directly — no account or login needed on your end.
Donate
Your gift closes the gap.
“On behalf of The HERizon Collective, thank you for considering a gift. Your support helps single mothers who are working, raising their families, and earning just above the poverty line close the gap between where they are and sustainable homeownership.”
EIN 39-2749545 · Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Frequency
Choose an amount
Give NowEach amount above is a real, secure Wix checkout link — click one to donate right now by card. Monthly recurring giving and custom amounts aren't wired up yet; email hello@theherizoncollective.org for either in the meantime, or see the Wix Donations app as a future upgrade.
| Gift | Funds |
|---|---|
| $50 | Program worksheets & materials for one participant |
| $150 | On-site childcare for one full 120-minute program |
| $500 | One complete program session, open to the whole community |
| $1,250 | A quarter of one Closing Cost Assistance Grant |
| $5,000 | One full Closing Cost Assistance Grant or Education Scholarship |
The gift amounts and examples above are illustrative and may change as actual program costs are finalized.
Blog
Stories, updates, and what we're learning.
Posts are tagged by pillar so you can filter straight to what you care about.
What Counts as “Just Above the Poverty Line” — And Why It Locks Families Out
An introduction to the mission, no jargon — who this organization is for and why the gap matters.
Read more →Inside Our Closing Cost Assistance Grant: Who Qualifies and How to Apply
A walkthrough of the grant process — eligibility, timing, and what to have ready before you apply.
Read more →Why We Built a 9-Part Legacy & Asset Protection Series
What the series covers, who delivers it, and why protecting what you build matters as much as building it.
Read more →Events
Save the date.
Program 1: Personal Finance & Budgeting
Date to be confirmed
Our very first community program — a free, 120-minute session helping single mothers build a working household budget, start an emergency fund, and tell needs from wants. Facilitated by Samantha Brown, Founder & Executive Director. Free and open to the community, no application required.
Request a Free 1:1 Follow-Up Session →
You're registered — we'll email you as soon as Program 1's date is confirmed.
Register now and we'll email you the moment this date is confirmed.
The HERizon Collective Boss Networking Luncheon
Date to be confirmed
Our annual fundraising event, held separately from our free educational programming. Proceeds directly fund Closing Cost Assistance Grants of up to $5,000 each. Details and tickets coming soon.
You're registered — we'll email you with the venue, date, and ticket details as soon as they're confirmed.
Register now and we'll email you the venue, date, and ticket details as soon as they're confirmed.