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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 28 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. 

The in-person workshop for Marengo County is slated for Monday, April 8 from 12 to 1 p.m. at the Theo Ratliff Activity Center located at 306 First Avenue in Demopolis. 

“For the first time, we are combining the normally separate Arts Grant Cycle with our Community Grant Cycle in order to streamline the process for the community and give organizations quicker access to funding!” said BBCF public relations director Daron Harris.

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. The deadline for all applications is April 19, with final decisions being tendered by the end of May 2024. 

Other 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.

Foundation president Felecia Lucky expressed her enthusiasm for the opening of the grant cycle.

“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,” Lucky said. “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.”

The foundation’s 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 $7,500. 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. 

The cycle is aimed at targeting in-school, after-school and community-based arts and arts education programs as well as professional development and capacity building. The grants have a range of $500 to $5,000. 

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/. 

For the past few years, BBCF has worked to streamline its granting process by deploying the best available tools. The grant application, along with detailed written and video tutorials will be available on BBCF’s website at: https://blackbeltfound.org/2024grants/ beginning March 28. A full schedule of the grant process, grant application workshop schedules (in-person and online sessions) and all deadlines and other details will also be readily available via the website.

For more information related to Community Grants: Please contact Erica Williams at 334-874-1126, ext. 111 or 334.294.9661 or by ewilliams@blackbeltfound.org or Christopher Spencer at cspencer@blackbeltfound.org. For more information regarding Arts Grants: Please contact Aaron Head at ahead@blackbeltfound.org.   

To learn more about BBCF, follow developments and more online at www.blackbeltfound.org and via social media outlets at BBCF Facebook, Instagram, Youtube channel 

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