SELMA, AL – March 25, 2024: The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is offering community and arts grant opportunities open to community-based organizations operating within its 12-county service area comprising Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox Counties of Alabama.
The 2024 BBCF Arts and Community Grants Cycle will open on March 28th with the online grant application going live followed by a series of in-person and online Learn Grants-BBCF Style Workshops. There will be an in-person workshop in each of the 12 counties which will serve as an opportunity for the community to meet the new BBCF Arts Director, Aaron Head, and to answer any questions you may have about the grant process.
For a more in-depth learning experience, covering all aspects of the BBCF grant process and including tips for writing a successful application, please plan to attend one of the two Online Grant Summit workshops. Please note that any organization that has never submitted a grant application to BBCF MUST attend one in-person workshop session prior to applying. April 19th is the deadline for all applications, with final decisions being tendered by the end of May 2024.
Dates for the in-person and online workshops are forthcoming – be sure to follow BBCF on social media and check out our website, blackbeltfound.org, for up-to-date information about these sessions.
BBCF President Felecia Lucky states, “We are enthusiastic and assured of the work and guidance offered by the BBCF Community Associates and Local Grant Review Committees in facilitating the grant application process and in fostering connections with organizations dedicated to catalyzing positive change within their communities. This year marks the 19th anniversary of the Community Grant Cycle and the 18th anniversary of Arts granting, coinciding with the celebration of BBCF’s 20th anniversary.”
BBCF’s Community Grant Cycle will invest in organizations engaging Black Belt citizens by addressing the most pressing community needs through grants ranging in size from $500 to $7500. This type of work includes but is not limited to education, economic development, health, criminal justice reform and intervention, civic engagement/participation, recreational programs, etc.
BBCF’s Arts Grant Cycle will target in-school, after-school and community-based arts and arts education programs as well as professional development and capacity building. These grants have a range of $500 to $5000.
For both Community and Arts grants, applicants will be able to find specific examples of previous projects funded and other helpful details via the grant application web resource page at: https://blackbeltfound.org/2024grants/ .