MONTGOMERY, AL – The Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF) awarded $106,587.00 in grants to 16 River Region nonprofits that support the arts and community initiatives in Montgomery, Lowndes, Macon, Autauga and Elmore counties. The Arts and Community Building Grants that will be awarded Thursday, February 16, are part of the Cultural and Community Enhancement Grant Cycle that CACF manages. Funds from these grants will go directly toward assisting many within these communities.
CACF is also awarding Give Smart Montgomery Grants to assist individuals struggling with chronic homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance abuse.
Nonprofits receiving 2023 CACF Arts and Community Building Grants include:
Central Alabama Community Foundation ($86,145.00)
Arts Grants ($44,725.00)
$13,400.00 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival – to fund participation of two Montgomery Public Schools sites in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, where ASF teaching artists will work with students for eight weeks to stage a Shakespeare play and complete ASF Master Classes, culminating with performances for their classmates and at ASF for the public
$6,450.00 to the Children’s Center of Montgomery, Inc. – to provide materials for the Center’s annual art program for its young adults with disabilities and medical fragility with a focus on whimsical garden art that will be installed in the Center’s existing garden for all clients and their visitors to enjoy
$6,375.00 to ClefWorks, Inc. – to fund three concerts for school children that will each include a musical performance, question and answer with an interactive musician, and hands-on experience with instruments
$8,500.00 to Montgomery Symphony Association – to provide $6,000 for music lesson scholarships for Montgomery Youth Orchestra members and $2,500 for the rental of the Davis Theater for two performances of the Children’s Concert for Montgomery Public Schools fifth graders
$10,000.00 to the Tuskegee Repertory Theatre, Inc. – to support the costs of the actors and musicians performing in Tuskegee’s Historical Legacy Part 1, three plays that tell the story of the town’s development as a strong Black community from the beginning of Tuskegee University through the work of Dr. Booker T. Washington
Community Building Grants ($41,420.00)
$10,420.00 to Communities of Transformation – to support the costs of 20 participants in Awaken, a 12-week personal leadership class for persons experiencing poverty and seeking a more stable future, with participants able to continue to a second phase where they are matched and meet weekly with trained volunteers to support them in obtaining their goals developed during the Awaken training
$10,000.00 to Guideright Foundation of Montgomery, Inc. – to support the costs of the Guide Right Program’s spring activities for their male mentees in the Montgomery area, which include college tours, cultural trips, college signing day, and graduation events
$10,000.00 to New Beginnings Educational Center – to support the costs of the Center’s tutoring and mentoring program that focuses on neighboring communities such as Paterson Court and Victor Tulane Gardens neighborhoods
$6,000.00 to Society of St. Andrew – to grow the network of volunteers, farmers, and nonprofits involved in the gleaning of unmarketable produce in Central Alabama by supporting the packaging and transportation costs of donated items that provide fresh produce for nonprofits serving residents in Lowndes, Macon, and Montgomery counties
$5,000.00 to Young Men on a Mission – to support the costs of YMM’s operation of the Nixon-Times Community Garden in West Montgomery by its mentors and mentees in partnership with neighborhood stakeholders to include holding a monthly community event and the ongoing distribution to elderly neighbors of produce and eggs from the garden
CACF Technical Assistance Grants ($5,442.00)
$1,442.00 to Alabama Shakespeare Festival – to contract with Handbid to move the annual ASF Gala Silent Auction to an online process
$1,500.00 to Capri Theatre – to develop a strategic plan that considers the impacts of COVID and streaming services
$2,500.00 to Communities of Transformation – to purchase three computers to support efforts to upgrade and integrate technology across the organization
Autauga Area Community Foundation ($7,500.00)
Arts Grants ($5,000.00)
$2,500.00 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival– to provide tickets for 250 Autauga County students to attend SchoolFest performances that will include classroom study guides and interaction with the cast and crew after the performance
$2,500.00 to Autauga-Prattville Public Library – to implement Character Day, a monthly program for children ages three to ten years showcasing familiar characters from books, movies, or television shows, that will include a meet and greet with the character, story time, and craft and activity stations with the goal of encouraging parents and children to visit the library
Community Building Grants ($2,500.00)
$2,500.00 to Bridge Builders Alabama – to support the costs of participants from Autauga County for BBA’s summer conference for high school juniors that includes intense team building and leadership training and for the summer conference for high school seniors that includes visits to historical and culturally significant sites and life-skill activities
Elmore County Community Foundation ($7,500.00)
Arts Grants ($5,000.00)
$2,500.00 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival – to provide tickets for 250 Elmore County students to attend SchoolFest performances that will include classroom study guides and interaction with the cast and crew after the performance
$2,500.00 to the Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery – to support costs of implementing a comprehensive children’s art program for preschool through high school at the Gallery and online
Community Building Grants ($2,500)
$2,500.00 to Bridge Builders Alabama – to support the costs of participants from Elmore County for BBA’s summer conference for high school juniors that includes intense team building and leadership training and for the summer conference for high school seniors that includes visits to historical and culturally significant sites and life-skill activities
Total Amount Awarded: $106,587.00
Grants also being awarded:
Field of Interest Grants ($4,500.00)
Clara Lull Robinson Beautification Grant ($3,000.00)
$3,000.00 to Main Street Wetumpka – for the creation of two murals in downtown Wetumpka
ECCF Margaret & Auston Bridges Fund for Historical Preservation Grant ($1,500.00)
$1,500.00 to Elmore County Historical Society, Inc. – to provide for the repair of the windows and doors in the restoration of the Ma Brown Dogtrot House
Give Smart Montgomery Grants
$5,000.00 to Hope Inspired Ministries – to support salary costs of a recruitment program where staff will visit areas where panhandlers congregate and seek to enroll them in HIM programming or transport them to a mental health or addiction treatment facility as needed
$5,000.00 to Mid Alabama Coalition for the Homeless – to support MACH’s existing street outreach program with funding for outreach worker salaries and for supplies and services that address basic needs of panhandlers
Total Amount Awarded: $121,087.00
