The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham has awarded $1,411,000 in grants to 59 area nonprofits serving Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker counties in its fall 2024 grant cycle. These grants are focused on priorities identified in our strategic plan: Thriving Communities, Overcoming Persistent Poverty, Equity and Inclusion, and Economic Opportunity for All.
These 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:
Alabama Childhood Food Solutions INC, $50,000 to support building a 20,000 square foot food distribution center, allowing Alabama Childhood to serve up to 10,000 people each month. Alabama Childhood Food Solutions assists families and kids who often do not know where their next meals will come from. They have an urgent need for additional warehouse space, and building is expected to begin in early 2025.
Birmingham Public Library, $14,000 to create additional workspaces for adult patrons in the Central location, specifically in the Computer Commons and the Adult Services Departments. For the Commons, funds will support the addition of two laptop bars and barstools. For the Adult Services Department, funds will support the purchase of two Nook Solos (study pods) for patrons needing a quiet space to study, research, and conduct teleconference meetings.
Cahaba Riverkeeper, $13,000 to support the Environmental Leadership Program that educates youth with an interest in their local environment and in being leaders in their community as the nation adapts to a changing climate. In 2025, fourteen local high school juniors will participate as the next generation of environmental stewards, and will learn field and lab water sampling skills, explore careers in the environmental field, and gain firsthand knowledge about organizations and individuals working with communities to protect Alabama’s air and water.
Mothers’ Milk Bank of Alabama, $50,000 to support the Mothers’ Milk Bank’s relocation and build-out. The Milk Bank requires a larger space than is currently available to effectively process the current level of donations as well as to better serve their milk donors. As Alabama’s only human milk bank, the Mothers’ Milk Bank provides life-saving access to pasteurized donor human milk for critically ill infants whose mother’s situation or medical challenges render them unable to nurse. Donor milk is dispensed to neonatal intensive care units where it is used to nourish premature and medically fragile infants.
Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, $40,000 to support ¡HICA!’s policy and advocacy efforts by funding a new Policy Director position. Key areas of focus for policy and advocacy work in the Greater Birmingham metro area and throughout the state will include expanding cradle-to-career initiatives in local schools; strengthening small business and workforce development efforts, creating pathways for long-term success and economic growth; and engaging with lawmakers, community stakeholders, and other partners to build support for inclusive policies that address the needs of underserved communities.
Find the full list of grantees for 2024 here.