Fostering Equity and Inclusion
Throughout the Community Foundation’s extensive strategic planning process, stakeholders across our region expressed a desire for the Foundation to uphold equity and inclusion as guiding principles in our work.
The Foundation has committed to better modeling the importance of equity and inclusion both internally, in our organizational culture and processes, and externally, in our grant making and related practices. We hold Equity and Inclusion up as both one of the Foundation’s five priorities and a cross-cutting value that informs everything we do.
What We Believe
Pursuing equity and inclusion is not just the right thing to do — it is smart. Embracing diverse perspectives and voices is critical to ensuring a vibrant, inviting community. Our goal is not to reduce the complexity of who we are but to foster an increased awareness and appreciation of our diversity and differences. People from any background should feel welcomed to the table, empowered to raise issues that matter to them, and involved in decisions that impact them. This allows all of us to learn from the conversations and relationships that result and be a part of creating change.
What We Mean When We Say “Equity”
When we say equity, we are referring to the achievable ideal where everyone in our community can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. This is not the same as “equality”, which implies offering identical resources and opportunities to everyone. Equity means meeting people where they are and paying special attention to the most marginalized. Driven by data, this type of intentional support unlocks potential and helps ensure each individual has what they need to thrive. In the near term, greater equity means improved outcomes for communities. Over the long term — if we tackle issues at the root — a focus on equity can permanently shift what future generations expect from life in our region.
The Impact We Seek
Promote the values and practice of equity and inclusion in our community by:
- Developing public awareness, dialogue, and action to reduce barriers and ensure fair opportunities for everyone
- Increasing capacity of and support for residents to drive positive change and create fairer systems for all
- Promoting opportunities for meaningful participation by any marginalized groups and for dialogue and relationship building across differences
Learn More About Our Priorities
Grantee Stories
Community Foundation Awards $1.6 Million in Grants
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham has awarded more than $1.6 million in grants to 66 area nonprofits serving Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker counties. These grants are focused on the five priorities identified in our 10-year strategic plan: Thriving Communities, Regional Cooperation, Overcoming Persistent Poverty, Equity and Inclusion, and Economic Opportunity for All. (Explore our Priority Areas.)
The Philip A Morris Fund for the Design Arts: Building a Better Birmingham
Kathryn Harbert and Philip Morris at Railroad Park Anyone who has ever enjoyed an afternoon with family and friends at Railroad Park, a place often called Birmingham’s living room, has Philip A. Morris to thank for those memorable moments. Though not a trained designer, Morris was a visionary. He not only served on the planning committee for Railroad Park but also for Linn Park and Red Mountain Park. He was chair of Operation New Birmingham (now REV Birmingham), Birmingham Historical Society, and Mountain Brook Villages Design Review Committee. He was co-chair of the Vulcan Park renovation planning committee and served on the boards of the Vulcan Park Foundation, Birmingham Botanical Society, and Friends of Linn Park. He was also a founding board member of Design Alabama and Horizon 280 Association.
Giving Together, Growing Together
Each year, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham receives an increasing number of applications for our spring and fall grant cycles, and existing funds are never enough to cover all the grants approved. So, in 2008, the Giving Together program was born to accompany the grant cycles.
How Innovation and Collaboration Can Empower Students in Walker County and Beyond
Hundreds of high school students in Walker County will soon have access to a state-of-the-art facility offering high-quality career and technical education, equipping them with credentials and skills aligned with Alabama’s workforce needs.