MONTGOMERY, AL – The Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF) awarded $92,580.00 in grants to 10 River Region nonprofits that support the arts and community initiatives in Montgomery, Lowndes, Macon, Autauga and Elmore counties. The Arts and Community Building Grants awarded Thursday, February 10, are part of the Cultural and Community Enhancement Grant Cycle that CACF manages. Applications for these grants were submitted last year and were approved by CACF’s Board of Directors in January. Funds from these grants will go directly toward assisting many within these communities.
Central Alabama Community Foundation ($85,580.00)
Arts Grants ($42,580.00)
$5,000.00 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival – to provide tickets for Macon County students to attend SchoolFest performances that will include classroom study guides and interaction with the cast and crew after the performance
$6,080.00 to Children’s Center of Montgomery, Inc.– to support the development of a culinary arts program for the Children’s Center Adult Program by purchasing supplies needed to equip the teaching kitchen
$5,000.00 to The Cloverdale Playhouse– to support the Playhouse School by providing student scholarships and teacher stipends
$17,100.00 to Lowndes County Community Life Center– to provide the quilting and exhibit construction costs of the Sew Their Names Project, which will commemorate the identities of enslaved persons (erased from Census records, but recovered in church records) through a community effort to create panels for each one for use by renowned Alabama quilters in designing quilts, that will become part of a traveling exhibit to share the stories and then be permanently displayed in Lowndes County
$9,400.00 to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts – to provide the artist stipend, art-making supplies, and exhibit costs for a multidisciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum at Floyd Middle School to engage students already interested in math, science, and technology in learning about art and art-making and to serve as a pilot effort in addressing the need for arts programming for MPS middle school students
Community Building Grants ($43,000.00)
$20,000.00 to Alabama Rural Ministry – to support ARM’s efforts to renovate the education wing of the Tuskegee Mission Hub (a historic church building used for community meetings, afterschool programming, and volunteer staging efforts) through the purchase and installation of an HVAC system and energy efficient windows
$5,000.00 to New Beginnings Educational Center – to support the costs of supplies and field trips for the Center’s afterschool program, which focuses on families in the Patterson Court and Tulane Garden neighborhoods
$10,000.00 to That’s My Child – to provide scholarships for 30 students to participate in TMC’s Teen to Work Program, a nine-week job training program
$8,000.00 to Young Men on a Mission – to purchase tools, supplies, and a sprinkler system to support YMM’s operation of the Nixon-Times Community Garden by its mentors and mentees in partnership with neighborhood stakeholders to include holding a monthly community event, hosting field trips for elementary classes, and the ongoing distribution to elderly neighbors of produce and eggs from the garden
Autauga Area Community Foundation ($4,500.00)
Arts Grants ($4,500.00)
$2,500 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival – to provide tickets for Autauga County students to attend SchoolFest performances that will include classroom study guides and interaction with the cast and crew after the performance
$2,000 to Autauga-Prattville Public Library – to purchase books and craft supplies for the weekly outreach programs, Storytime (ages three to five years) and Show and Tell (ages six months to 2 years)
Elmore County Community Foundation ($2,500.00)
Arts Grants ($2,500.00)
$2,500 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival – to provide tickets for Elmore County students to attend SchoolFest performances that will include classroom study guides and interaction with the cast and crew after the performance
Total Amount Awarded: $92,580.00
For over 35 years, the Central Alabama Community Foundation has been a valued community partner and resource for nonprofits and students in the River Region and Wiregrass. Through the generous support of individual and corporate donors, the foundation provides over $5 million in grants and scholarships each year that meet diverse community needs, supporting programs and projects in education, human services, health, cultural arts, and other civic concerns. Our mission is to create a better quality of life for those who live and work in the River Region for many years to come.
