In a ceremony held Saturday, April 27, 2019, the Black Belt Community Foundation awarded 19 arts grants to community groups in its 12 county service area, totaling $60,000. Seventeen of the grant awards ranged from $1,500 to $3,000. Two of the awards were for community Arts Education Projects which received $10,000 each.In Greene County three project were awarded a total of $7,500. The Society of Folk Arts & Culture received $3,000 toward the production of the annual Black Belt Folk Roots Festival. Broader Horizons-Brighter Futures received $3,000 to implement an arts appreciation program for youth and adults. The Alabama Civil Rights Education Center and Freedom Museum received $1,500 toward equipment and supplies to preserve museum holdings.
The Arts Education Grants of $10,000 each were awarded to Bullock County Social Justice Foundation to support a year long program teaching music theory, instruments and performing to students and adults and to the Hale County Library to support a year-long Natural Dye and Textile Workshop incorporating history and science to students and adults.
Grants awarded to counties in BBCF’s service area included Choctaw County $2,000; Bullock County $2,550; Dallas County $6,000; Lowndes County $3,000; Macon County $6,000; Marengo County $2,200; Perry County $2,000; WilcoxCounty $5,680.