• Community Foundation Names New VP of Philanthropy

    Liz Edwards The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham has named Liz Edwards the organization’s new Vice President of Philanthropy. She has more than 25 years of experience, as both a volunteer and a professional, in the nonprofit sector.

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  • Hope Squad: Improving Mental Health in Children and Youth

    Building hope in Alabama In 2022, suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14 in the United States. One of the top goals of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is to improve child and youth mental health support in schools. This commitment includes working directly with school mental health coordinators in each district. One way the Community Foundation has done that is through Hope Squad, a national evidence-based, peer-to-peer suicide prevention program built around the power of connection.

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  • LGBTQ Fund Provides Grants to Nine Local Organizations

    The LGBTQ Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham announced $65,000 in grants awarded to 9 area nonprofits. Since its founding, the LGBTQ Fund has provided more than $365,000 to support programs in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker counties. Organizations receiving funds this year are:

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  • Philip A. Morris Fund for the Design Arts Announces 2024 Grants

    In its second annual grant cycle, the Philip A. Morris Fund for the Design Arts of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham awarded $115,000 in grants to five area nonprofits.

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  • Serving Our Community: A Q&A with Caroline Fuerniss

    Caroline Fuerniss, Professional Advisory Committee Chair Caroline Fuerniss is a proud Birmingham native who’s always searching for ways to serve her community. She’s held leadership roles with the Crisis Center, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and Rotaract Club of Birmingham. Currently, she’s a member of the Ballet Guild of Birmingham and she’s on the Women’s Advisory Team at Cathedral Church of the Advent. But she wanted to do more.

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  • Fall 2024 Events

    Our upcoming events offer opportunities for learning, connection, and volunteering!

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  • Defining Your Family Legacy

    Susan Schoenfeld, Founder & CEO, Wealth Legacy Advisors Family Philanthropy with Susan Schoenfeld: A Hard Look at the Soft Issues 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 at 1531 3rd Ave. North

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  • The Remy Fund for Pets and Animal Services Announces 2024 Grants

    The Remy Fund for Pets and Animal Services at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is pleased to announce its 2024 grants, awarding a total of $69,200 to companion animal (dogs, cats, and horses) nonprofit organizations, serving Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker counties. Since 2011, the Remy Fund has awarded over $649,000 in grants.

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  • Reflecting on 15 Years: Women’s Breast Health Fund

    Anyone who’s ever been affected by breast cancer knows that the impact of cancer lasts long after active treatment ends. A cancer diagnosis and the treatments that follow can have long term effects on the patient’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing and can have a lasting impact on the survivor’s family too.

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  • Why Past President Kate Nielsen Still Partners with the Community Foundation to Give Back

    Sheila Blair (right) became the first paid Executive Director of the Community Foundation in 1992. Mimi Tynes (left), the Foundation’s first Program Director, became Executive Director in 1998 (she passed away in April 2024); and Kate Nielsen (center), the Foundation’s first development officer in 1995, served as President from 2000-2013. When Kate Nielsen retired at the end of 2013 from her position as president of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, she worried about losing touch with her community. For more than 13 years she’d had her finger on the pulse of the needs of Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, and Walker counties. Now that she was stepping away from her post, she wondered how she could continue to make a difference. Then she realized that even though she was no longer at the helm of the Community Foundation, she could still make an impact through the organization. And she does that through a Donor Advised Fund.

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