$53,743 in grants given to local agencies

The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is celebrating the impact of its 2024 combined Community Grants and Arts Grants cycle in Marengo County and across all 12 counties it serves in the Alabama Black Belt region.

Community-based organizations from Marengo, Bullock, Greene, Lowndes, Choctaw, Macon, Sumter, Perry, Pickens, Hale, Dallas and Wilcox Counties applied for grants earlier this year. A total of $514,433 has been awarded through 130 different one-year long project grants to community and arts organizations that are significantly impacting their communities in transformative ways that contribute to the strength, innovation and success of Black Belt citizens and said communities.

Ten different grants in Marengo County were awarded for a total of $53,743 in grants ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 in an award ceremony held in Selma on June 1.  These grants are as follows:

• Chapel Family Life Center – $5,000 (Arts Grant)
• Chapel Family Life Center – $2,243 (Community Grant)
• Eastern Star Baptist Church Inc – $7,500 (Community Grant)
• Essex – Veterans Center – $5,500 (Community Grant)
• Friends of Theo Ratliff Activity Center – $3,000 (Community Grant)
• Linden Bridges Ministries –  $4,000 (Community Grant)
• Marengo BBCF Distribution – $15,000 (Community Grant)
• Marengo County Foster Parent Association – $5,500 (Community Grant)
• Moore2Give – $2,000 (Community Grant)
• Toney Nixon Music $4,000 (Community Grant)

This year represented a ground-breaking first for BBCF as it continued its model of giving based on the practice known as “Trust-Based Philanthropy” and combined, for the first time ever in its 20-year history, both the Community Grants and Arts Grants cycles. By utilizing BBCF Local Grant Committees in each county, decisions were made by those closest to the issues and granting needs voiced by their community. Local Grant Committees scored applications from their county based on these needs, proposed delivery of services, potential of project to change the community, how the project will be evaluated, and the results of those evaluations disseminated, and finally, the requested budget for the project.

“Celebrating our 20th year, the Black Belt Community Foundation is proud to award over half a million dollars in 130 separate grants to community and arts organizations across the 12 counties we serve. This record-breaking milestone reflects our enduring commitment to empowering local initiatives, fostering growth and impacting the entire Black Belt region.” – Felecia Lucky, president of Black Belt Community Foundation

The post $53,743 in grants given to local agencies appeared first on The Demopolis Times .