The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to 56 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 grants are made possible by discretionary funds entrusted to the Foundation by generations of donors with additional support coming from current Donor Advised Fundholders through the Community Foundation’s Giving Together program.

Grants that will benefit the Greater Birmingham area include:

Junior Achievement of Alabama, $50,000 to help build the Junior Achievement McWane Economic Education Center, which will feature immersive experiential learning labs providing 6th and 8th grade students hands-on experiences in macro- and micro-economic simulations. Through classroom curriculum and a day-long experience in simulated cities, students will combine economic education and experiences to help them prepare for their futures and understand how hard work can result in self-sufficiency and success.

Unless U, $17,000 to support Hub in the Hills, a space for local non-profit organizations to grow and thrive with like-minded co-laborers who have a desire to collaborate, grow together, and ultimately better serve our community. The Hub will expand the “Belonging-Centered Model” which creates space for marginalized people in the community while also uplifting the community as a whole. Funding will support capital improvements, including technology for classrooms and community engagement areas for students where they can focus on building their life and social skills.

City of Montevallo, $6,000 to replace aging public access technology used every day by Montevallo residents. Funding will provide three computers that will be available to all visitors. These computers are essential to the approximately 15 percent of Montevallo residents who do not have access to reliable high-speed internet in their homes.

Pathways, $50,000 to address the critical shortage of safe, affordable, and accessible housing in Birmingham by the addition of Permanent Supportive Housing units that will help more individuals and families transition out of homelessness and achieve long-term stability with the dedicated support of a social worker. Pathways programming provides access to education, employment, and healthcare, ultimately breaking cycles of homelessness and creating long-term community stability.

Mason Music Foundation, $8,000 to increase access to music education, free from financial barriers. Mason Music provides high-quality music instruction to children in under-resourced Birmingham communities, fostering not only musical growth but also emotional and cognitive development, self-confidence, motor skills, discipline, perseverance, and resilience.

Read the full list of grantees here.

The Community Foundation has two grantmaking cycles each year. The Fall 2025 Competitive Grant Cycle will open July 28.