Programs
Monthly News and Updates
February 28, 2025
Microtransit
We met with BJCTA, Via, and the City of Homewood this month to present an updated plan for a Homewood microtransit pilot. BJCTA revised plans for fixed route adjustment and microtransit pilot zones to keep the budget within the parameters Homewood requested. The next step is for Homewood to carry the proposal through its committee process and on to a final review and decision by the Council and Mayor. Also this month, Gus Heard-Hughes and I presented on microtransit at the Cause Conversation, a regular gathering of faith-based leaders working to address critical community issues, including transportation. The presentation was well-received, and many organizations learned about the microtransit service – which could be beneficial to their clients – for the first time.
Capital Collective
In late 2024, the Community Foundation provided the first local match to JP Morgan Chase Foundation’s $500,000 commitment to launch the Capital Collective model in Greater Birmingham. The Capital Collective aims to help larger small-businesses ($500K – $10M) to get positioned for growth and to expand their pool of capital. The first Capital Collective cohort of 12 businesses is halfway through its 12-week program. We were involved in the selection of the businesses (from sectors including engineering, IT, construction, transportation logistics, food, forestry, energy, and health care) and sat in on two of the sessions. We are impressed with the group of businesses and their progress in the program so far. We will have further updates as the first cohort wraps up and the businesses implement growth strategies.
Competitive Grants
The Spring 2024 grant cycle application period closed on Feb. 7. We received 176 brief proposal applications; after the initial eligibility review, the total was reduced to 142 applications. The Grant Review and Evaluation Committee will meet in March to select applicants to move to the full proposal stage.
AIR Opportunity Fund
We hosted the AIR Opportunity Fund this month for a pair of listening sessions with organizations in the Greater Birmingham area. The AIR Opportunity Fund is a major national funder that has selected Birmingham as one of 25 cities eligible for a new funding opportunity of $5-7 million per grantee. They are visiting every community to hear about collaborative work and opportunities for funding in their focus areas of workforce, health and wellbeing, public safety, and education. We are planning a follow up meeting with attendees to explore collaborative projects that could be a fit for the RFP that AIR plans to release by mid-2025.
Community of Hope
We met this month with key Greater Birmingham Community of Hope partners, including Casey Family Programs, Urban Ministry, and the Alabama Department of Human Resources, to discuss progress on strategies to strengthen families. Urban Ministry has hired the Community Developer position and is doing the community listening and planning work in the 35211 zip code. Program Officer Meg Ford joined Casey Family Programs and City of Birmingham leadership in a cross-municipal program to build stronger ties between city leadership and state child welfare agencies. And Gus and Meg met with United Way and 2-1-1 leadership to discuss coordination around expanding access to resource directory resources.
Catalyst Funds
At the Catalyst Fundholders annual meeting on Feb. 4, attendees heard from two Catalyst-supported initiatives. Meghann Bridgeman (left) and Lee Shook talked about the work of the Alabama Film Office and Film Birmingham to expand film projects and their economic impact in the Birmingham metro. Alex Flachsbart (right) talked about Opportunity Alabama and how an impact investment from the Community Foundation is helping expand a nonprofit and community hub in Titusville and contributing to that neighborhood’s revitalization.
Nonprofit Summit
The Community Foundation supported the return of the Alabama Association of Nonprofits (AAN) Summit after several years of dormancy. Gus and Meg attended the summit, which was sold out. Many nonprofits said they appreciated the opportunity to connect, particularly during a time of uncertainty around federal funding.