More than 30 grants to support Appalachian Ohio’s Black-led, Black-serving organizations
NELSONVILLE, Ohio – The African American Community Fund (AACF) has awarded 31 grants, totaling $175,750, to support Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit and public organizations throughout Appalachian Ohio, including 10 capacity-building grants.
“We are incredibly proud and honored to be stewarding historic levels of funding in support of individuals and organizations doing remarkable work across our region’s 32 counties,” said Ernie Bynum, AACF co-founder and committee member. “The dollars we are giving today will reap benefits for people and communities for years to come.”
This summer, AACF and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s I’m a Child of Appalachia® Fund, with support from the AEP Foundation, invited Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit and public organizations to apply for grants to advance initiatives across five areas essential to creating and sustaining transformative change: arts and culture, community and economic development, education, environmental stewardship, and health and human services. Emphasis was on supporting individuals of all ages who are spearheading projects and programs that create opportunities, meet pressing needs and unleash the potential within African Americans throughout Appalachian Ohio.
Grants were awarded to:
· African American Awareness Research Council to help fund a panel discussion and screening of the film “The Lincoln School Marchers” in Highland County as part of the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education decision
· Dress To Succeed to provide professional attire for men and women in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, including those returning from incarceration, to enter the job market, college, vocational training and other needs
· Enterprise Muskingum to help fund the development of its website
· GO Community Development Corporation to purchase boots, hats and gloves for those in need in Ashtabula County
· Groundwork Ohio to recruit, train and provide stipends to African American families from Appalachia participating in the Family Action Network and engaging in state policy development
· Kool Boiz Foundation to support the Young Men’s Empowerment Series for boys and young men of color in Youngstown
· Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church to provide the lead match for a Jeffris Family Foundation Capital Campaign Challenge Grant, which will provide the funding needed to complete the restoration of the historic Black church in Lawrence County
· Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership to provide food vouchers for the Tri-County Senior Food/Program Mobile Services, which serves Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties
· Mount Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society to assist with basement removal and repairs
· Muskingum County Social Justice Coalition to support the 2024 Career Connections Camp, which provides an opportunity for junior high students to explore career pathways in their communities
· Nelson T. Gant Foundation to help fund a parking lot pavement and sidewalk installation project
· OH WOW! Center for Science & Technology to purchase supplies and equipment for programming that provides STEM learning interventions to K-12 students in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties and professional development to educators in those counties
· Pump House Center for the Arts in Ross County to support its 2024 Juneteenth Celebration
· Second Baptist Church of Warren to help repair the stained-glass windows, frames and ceiling of the historic Second Baptist Church Chapel
· Trillium Project to help fund crosswalk murals and sidewalk painting in the historically Black North End neighborhood of Portsmouth in Scioto County
· Women Helping Women to support services provided to survivors of gender-based violence and their children in Adams, Brown and Clermont counties
· Youngstown Lifeguard Academy to purchase scuba equipment for and the training of at-risk and underserved youth and young adults who successfully complete the lifeguard and/or swim instructor certification
· YMCA of Youngstown to support the RESPECT League, a mentoring program for at-risk youth ages 11-17
· YWCA of Greater Cincinnati to support its House of Peace Domestic Violence Shelter, which serves Adams, Brown and Clermont counties
The I’m a Child of Appalachia® Fund provided AACF up to $5,000 to support projects developed and implemented by local youth under age 18. The goal of this funding is to empower young leaders and inspire them to embrace greater roles in their communities. AACF awarded youth-led project grant funding to:
· Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum to support a program that will train Ashtabula youth ages 11-18 to become docents and to teach other youth
· Simon Kenton Council Boy Scouts for supplies, outreach activities and training for the ScoutReach program, serving Adams, Athens, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton counties
AACF, with funding from the U.S. Bank Foundation, also awarded 10 capacity-building grants to help Black-led and Black-serving organizations best meet the needs of those they serve by expanding services, enhancing program quality and/or improving operational efficiencies. A total of $47,000 in capacity-building funding was awarded to:
· Black By God to expand the community-led news organization focused on the Black experience in the central Appalachian region
· Calvary Missionary Baptist Church to train teachers, support staff and volunteers for a career and educational development initiative serving Black and minority individuals in Zanesville’s Putnam Historical District
· Enterprise Muskingum to train a staff member in data use, sources and visualization
· Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church to fund interim insurance payments while the church’s preservation society is being organized, which will allow for the release of state-appropriated funding
· Mount Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society to support restoration of the historic church
· OH Wow! Center for Science & Technology to fund staff training, team development and professional development
· Simon Kenton Council Boy Scouts to help train adult leadership volunteers, youth leaders and a diversity, equity and inclusion trainer
· Women Helping Women to support the influx of crisis hotline calls, to improve system response and to provide direct assistance to survivors of gender-based violence in Adams, Brown and Clermont counties
· YMCA of Youngstown for professional development and training opportunities for staff and mentors and technology and equipment upgrades to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the RESPECT League program
· YWCA of Greater Cincinnati to increase awareness of programs available in Adams, Brown and Clermont counties and to integrate back into those communities post pandemic
Matching funds are available for year-end gifts
The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio is providing a 50-cent match for every $1 given to any endowment at FAO, including those supporting its affiliate foundations. Matching funds can even be used to help start a new
endowment fund. A total of $500,000 in match funding is available on a first-come, first served basis through Dec. 31, with up to $25,000 in match available per household. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/endowmentmatchFAO.
To learn more about the African American Community Fund and how to support its work, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/AACF, email AACF@ffao.org or call 740.753.1111.