About The Berkins
Andréa Hawkins and Douglas Barber – “The Berkins” – both grew up in the Hartford area. After a series of run-ins from childhood through adulthood, in 2014 they met again on a dating app and began dating. After less than a year of dating, both Andréa and Doug were laid off from the jobs in corporate America within the same week. Although the future seemed uncertain, they got engaged in 2015 and decided to open their first shop that year. Seven years later, they have gotten married, blended their families and opened two additional coffee shops – named Berkins Blend — in the Greater Hartford area, and Andréa also started her own consultancy called Leading Culture Solutions.
After achieving considerable financial success through their business ventures, they decided that the best way to enjoy it was through giving back to the community that gave them so much. The Berkins worked with The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and in December of 2021, The Berkins Family Fund was born.
Our Vision
The Berkins know first hand how challenging it can be to get a new endeavor off the ground, but often, one of the biggest challenges for founders is getting enough funding to help bring their visions to life. On top of that, getting investments from large corporations can be especially challenging for founders of color because of unconscious bias and a lack of access to the relationships necessary to get their foot in the door with large funders.
That’s why The Berkins Family Fund will primarily support local, early-stage nonprofit founders of color who are interested in serving their communities by starting a new organization or to encourage nonprofits to combine objectives and collaborate on their goals and missions. By doing this, The Berkins hope to continue to help make an impact on the community that brought them together. The Berkins initially seeded the fund with $50,000, and their goal is to grow it to $100,000 before making donations to maximize impact and ensure the endeavor’s longevity.