Grant Opportunities
Our Grant Cycle
A Community Foundation grant can support your work and our shared vision for a just, prosperous, and unified region where every person is empowered to reach their full potential. Grants are open to nonprofits serving Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, and St. Clair Counties.
The Community Foundation has two grantmaking cycles during which we accept applications in our Priority Areas: Thriving Communities, Regional Cooperation, Economic Opportunity for All, Overcoming Persistent Poverty, and Equity and Inclusion. The grant cycle is a two-stage proposal process with a brief proposal stage and a full proposal stage. Site visits are then scheduled with all applicants advancing to the full proposal stage.
Fall 2026 Grant Cycle
The Fall 2026 Competitive Grant Cycle is now open with brief proposals due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.
Learn more: Our Competitive Grantmaking Guidelines.
For more information: Nicole Standridge at nstandridge@cfbham.org.
Other Grant Opportunities
The LGBTQ Fund grant cycle is now closed. Visit the LGBTQ Fund to learn more.
The Philip A. Morris Fund for the Design Arts grant cycle is now closed. Visit the Morris Fund to learn more.
Spring 2026
2026 Important Dates
July 27: Fall Competitive Grant Cycle Opens
Aug. 14: Deadline for Brief Proposals
Dec. 10: Fall Competitive Grants Approved
Previous Grants
Field of Interest Funds & Giving Circles
Through the generosity of our donors, the Community Foundation offers funds that support organizations or programs addressing specific issues and needs in our community. Each of these funds has its own grant requirement process.
Learn how we can help you make an impact today
Grantee Highlights
Remy Fund for Pets and Animal Services awards record $93,500 in grants
The Remy Fund for Pets and Animal Services at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is pleased to announce its 2026 grants, awarding a record $93,500 in grants to companion animal (dogs, cats, and horses) nonprofit organizations that improve the lives of animals and the humans they touch in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker counties.
Life-Saving Work: Mother’s Milk Bank of Alabama is expanding
Research has shown that sick or premature infants whose mothers can’t breastfeed have better outcomes when fed donor milk instead of formula. Donor milk reduces medical complications and surgical interventions, decreases hospital stays, and lowers the risk of sepsis and other disorders.
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.