About

Appalachian Ohio has been shaped in significant ways by its Black community and that community’s long history of philanthropy. Among countless examples, our Black community played a critical role in making Appalachian Ohio a major hub of the Underground Railroad and contributed to the region’s musical and cultural legacy, including through the development of bluegrass music.

The late Ernest E. Bynum and his son, Ernest A., are passionate supporters of Black and other minority communities in Appalachian Ohio. Together, they co-founded the Minority Business Network of Southeast Ohio to increase the diversity of the region’s business community.

In January 2020, the father-son duo started penning a new chapter in Appalachian Ohio’s Black history when they founded the African American Community Fund (AACF) at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio to support and encourage philanthropy that benefits Black individuals and communities.

AACF serves as a vehicle to address racial disparities and help improve the physical, economic and structural conditions that affect quality of life in communities throughout Appalachian Ohio’s 32 counties. By supporting and enhancing initiatives in Appalachian Ohio’s Black communities, we will strengthen not only Black populations in the region but entire communities.

Together with our donors and partners, we advance opportunities across five funding areas, known as our Pillars of Prosperity.