Greene County Democrat

Tag: BBCF President Felecia Lucky

  • Greene County celebrates 20th Year of Black Belt Community Foundation

    L to R: Community Associates Geraldine Walton, Mollie Rowe, Nancy Cole, BBCF President Felecia Lucky, BBCF Founder Carol P. Zippert, BBCF Community Associates Miriam Leftwich, Darlene Robinson and Johnni Strode-Morning.

    On Friday, April 25, 2025, the Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) Greene County Associates held its 20th year celebration lifting community engagements supported by BBCF. Its theme: The Roaring 20’s depicted an era of fashion and a period of extraordinary community work in Greene County.

    BBCF President Felecia Lucky shared in the celebratory occasion, saluting the Associates with the statement “Greene County always goes big.” Greetings were also brought by Eutaw Mayor Latosha Johnson and Greene County Commission Chairperson, Garria Spencer, Associates Coordinator Miriam Leftwich, Nancy Cole, Johnni Strode-Morning and Darlene Robinson. Mollie Rowe served as Mistress of Order.

    A special recognition was presented to Dr. Carol P. Zippert as a founding member of BBCF. She gave a brief overview of the journey of the foundation.

    The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is celebrating its 20th year of serving 12 counties in the Alabama Black Belt. Each of the 12 counties, including Greene, Sumter, Pickens, Hale, Perry, Marengo, Choctaw, Dallas, Lowndes, Wilcox, Macon and Bullock is hosting a 20th Year celebratory event.

    Through community grants and other financial and technical resources, BBCF assists local groups engaged in transformational work to lift its community through arts and culture, education, health and wellness, childcare, civic engagement, youth leadership, and related projects. Each county has a group of volunteers known as Community Associates who are dedicated to educating the community on the vision and mission of BBCF and assist in raising funds, which earn a percentage match by BBCF, to support local projects. Funds raised by Associates in a particular county support grants to groups in that county.

     

  • BBCF Community & Arts Grants Spring 2024

    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/ .

  • Black Belt Community Foundation Counterbalance to COVID: Help Artists and Spread Joy

    SELMA, AL – May 19, 2020: Through support from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and a national donor, the Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) has been funded to create two new grant application opportunities to help individual artists and arts organizations impacted by the COVID-19 crisis across BBCF’s 12 county service area of the Alabama Black Belt.
    BBCF’s “Artist Relief Fund” allows individual, professional working artists (age 18 and older) who are having trouble meeting their basic needs to apply for up to $575 in a one- time grant.
    The second grant application announced is BBCF’s “Black Belt Joy” grant whereby arts organizations can receive up to $1,000 each by sharing creative ways to spread joy across the Black Belt through the arts. This special grants process also includes a video application option.
    In addition, BBCF will be offering extension support to arts grantees already funded in the last 2019 Arts Grants cycle. This support helps arts projects already underway to continue operations during this crucial time where all cultural activity has been critically impacted or, in many cases, grounded to a complete halt.
    How to apply? Applications are available online at the BBCF website. These can be filled out and submitted in real-time on the website (www.blackbeltfound.org). There are two different applications available. All of the requirements and rules for the grant applications are outlined there.
    BBCF President Felecia Lucky states, “Thank you to our long-term support from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the NEA by helping BBCF to quickly aid artists and arts organizations who are hurting across the Black Belt. Our goal with these new grants is to get relief out to those who need it the most in the simplest and least stressful way possible, so our process offers a streamlined way to apply. Through this, we look forward to spreading some comfort and joy as we continue supporting the many artists and arts organizations already granted in our last cycle.
    How to Connect in this Crisis? How to Help?- If you are an organization or someone that is actively working in the community looking to join forces for greater outreach, BBCF wants to hear from you. E- mail BBCF at info@blackbeltfound.org. Individual donors can immediately contribute to the COVID-19 Relief Fund here: http://www.blackbeltfound.org.

  • Black Belt Community Foundation awards Community and TRHT Grants

    Greene County Children’s Policy Council: $1,500 grant to provide writing coaches and supplies to host a four-day writing camp for elementary, middle and high school students.
    Boy Scout Troop 945: $1,500 grant to provide speakers, transportation and supplies for young and adult men to travel on an educational journey including workshops and forums to help prepare them for life.
    The Mt. Hebron Community Coalition: $1,500 grant to purchase electronic equipment and supplies for public exercise activities three days a week for citizens to live healthier lives.
    Center for Rural Family Development: $1,500 grant to provide stipends, field trips and supplies to support an eight-week leadership and business training for students in 8th thru 12th grade.

     The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is celebrating several months of hard work in completing two concurrent granting cycles with its 2019 First Round of Community Grants for 11 Black Belt counties and its first 2019 Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Selma grants for Selma and Dallas County. The Total pool of funding for Community Grants is approximately $75,000 funded across 54 different community organizations, and for the TRHT grants, approximately $24,000 in funding is being awarded to six different organizations based in Dallas County. This represents 84% of applications being funded from a total of 64 applications for community grants and 55% of applications being funded from a total of 11 applications for TRHT Selma/Dallas County grants.
    This community granting cycle involved the full participation of BBCF’s large network of volunteer community associates active across its 12 county service area of the Alabama Black Belt. A key component of community granting is the ‘participatory granting’ process where communities start their own fundraising locally that are matched with funds from BBCF to create a greater collective impact in funding community enriching work across each county.
    BBCF President Felecia Lucky states,”’Impressive’ is the word I have in reference to all of our grant applicants, awardees and the amazing team of our community associates and TRHT Selma grants committee and partners in engaging the community for this process. To be able to award nearly $100,000 in vital funding to 60 different organizations engaging in community transformative work is truly a blessing!”
    The TRHT Selma granting cycle involved a three-month long grants application process starting in April that included four public grant seekers workshops in Dallas County and two racial equity workshops held in Selma. Of note, BBCF’s TRHT Selma place partner, The Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth & Reconciliation produced and conducted all of the racial equity workshops that were required for applicants alongside of attendance at a workshop.
    All grant recipients were announced and celebrated at BBCF’s joint Community Grants/TRHT Grants Awards Ceremony held at Wallace Community College in Selma on Sat. June 29th in the Hank Sanders Technology Center Conference Room (11AM start).
    Specific details on the names of the grant recipient organizations and the type of work that will be funded is presented with photos above.

  • Black Belt Community Foundation Launches Community Grants Cycle

    BBCF

    The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) invites groups and organizations based in and serving Alabama’s Black Belt to apply for one-year grants for community-led activities around the 12-county Black Belt region. Community Grants support community efforts that will contribute to the strength, innovation, and success of Black Belt citizens and communities. In this 2018 cycle, grant awards will be awarded to support organizations engaging Black Belt citizens in addressing community issues through projects focusing on Community Economic Development(offer economic opportunities and/or improve social conditions), Education(provide additional instructional resources and activities), Health Services(offer resources, educate, and address health needs).

    The 2018 Community Grants Program will award approximately 40 grants to community-based organizations serving within the 12-county Black Belt Community Foundation service region. BBCF typically receives over 100 proposals each community grant funding cycle. Normally, community grants are awarded in the range of $500 to $3,000. This year, each local community associates group in collaboration with a local county review grants committee will decide the range of grants for their respective county.  Potential grantees will learn the range of grants for their county at the required grant seekers workshop.
    The Black Belt Community Foundation Board of Directors have agreed to match up to $5000 raised by Community Associates in each county and other local contributions by board members and supporters. This year’s total available funding pool is between $100,000 to $120,000. The Board of Directors will announce the 2018 Community Grant Awards on June 30th.
    states,” “This year we are excited to support outstanding community efforts across our 12-county BBCF service area. The fact that our community grants cycle is a community-driven process being spear-headed by our BBCF community associates is further testament to BBCF’s central belief that the Black Belt communities know what is best for them. We look forward to supporting economic development, education-based, and health services related efforts that are there to strengthen our communities.”
    The Black Belt Community Foundation only funds organizations based in and serving communities in our 12-county region:  Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox.  We anticipate that grants will be awarded in each of the 12 counties.  Projects that cross Black Belt county boundaries must include a letter of support from a partnering organization within the county where they wish to conduct the project.

  • BBC Foundation selected as Head Start grantee for Dallas, Choctaw, Marengo and Wilcox Counties

    BBCF

    Selma-based organization will provide high-quality services to the children and families of the Black Belt region. Will host community information sessions.
    June 23, 2017 (Selma, AL) The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) has been awarded over $1.4 million by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to oversee the Head Start programs in Dallas, Choctaw, Marengo, and Wilcox counties in Alabama. With the help of this grant, an estimated 307 children in Alabama’s Black Belt will be able to receive critical investment in their early educational development through high-quality program options.
    Founded in 2004 with the idea that those living and working in the Black Belt of Alabama best know the area’s challenges and opportunities, the BBCF raises funds and distributes grants to nonprofits that are making a difference in local communities.
    BBCF President Felecia Lucky states: “We are excited to be selected as a first-time Head Start grantee to provide high-quality Head Start services to children and families in the Black Belt region. With our programs, we have served over 50,000 children and families. Like Head Start, our programs emphasize the importance of starting early and working closely with families to improve academic outcomes. We were happy to answer the call to serve the community in this way, and we are ready to build on both the work of the Head Start organizations who have come before us and our successful track record of service in the region.”
    U.S. Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Alabama states: “This is outstanding news for children and families in the Black Belt region. It is so important that our children are supported at an early age with educational programs such as Head Start so that their learning capabilities can be cultivated throughout their formative years. With this grant, the Black Belt Community Foundation will be able to bring valuable program offerings to children in the state that need this support the most.”

    Below is the information for next week’s organizational sessions in Selma:
    LOCATION: Concordia College, Wright Complex, Selma, Alabama
    1804 Green Street, Selma, AL 36701 (ph: 334-874-5700)
    June 27:  12pm-1:30pm and 4pm-5:30pm  Informational meeting for current Head Start staff.  This meeting will provide an overview of next steps.  The goal of this meeting is to help provide a clear view to the staff the process BBCF will follow in moving forward.
    June 28:  8am-5:30pm  Job Fair. Head Start job applicants can complete their job applications.
    June 29:  8am-5:30pm Call Back Interviews (Attendees will be notified in advance.)