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The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is celebrating the impact of its 2025 combined Community Grants and Arts Grants cycle across all 12 counties it serves in the Alabama Black Belt region. Community-based organizations from Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Wilcox Counties applied for grants with the opening of the granting cycle in January. 

A total of $344,447.20 will be awarded through 141 one-year project grants to 126 different community organizations that are significantly impacting their communities in transformative ways — strengthening, innovating, and advancing the success of Black Belt citizens and the communities they call home. 

Grant is already funding educational enrichment in Lowndes and Macon Counties, where groups like Student Tutoring & Enrichment Program, KEWLBEANS, and the Tuskegee United Women’s League are providing tutoring and college readiness programs. Recipients of the foundation’s 2025 grant cycle include the Burkville Volunteer Fire Department, Hayneville/Lowndes County Public Library, Hope on the Hill Ministry, the Lowndes County Community Life Center and the Student Tutoring and Enrichment Program (STEP).

A complete list of the grants to be awarded is available at blackbeltfound.org/2025grants.

The BBCF continues its model of grant making based on the practice known as trust-based philanthropy. Community arts organizations applied at large, while the BBCF Community Associates network conducted BBCF local grant committees in each of the 12 counties. Through this model, decisions are made by those closest to the issues and needs voiced by their own communities. Local grant committees scored applications based on community needs, proposed delivery of services and the potential of each project to create lasting change.

“As we continue to celebrate BBCF’s 20th anniversary through May, the Black Belt Community Foundation is proud to award these funds in 141 different grants to community and arts organizations across the 12 counties we serve,” said Felecia Lucky, CEO and president of the Black Belt Community Foundation. “We continue our focus on empowering local initiatives by first listening and responding to the very needs voiced by the communities themselves — all while fostering growth and impacting the entire Black Belt region.”

More than just awarding grants, this investment is fueling creativity, resilience, and opportunity across the Black Belt. The funds are supporting projects that build stronger communities, inspire future generations, and celebrate the region’s unique cultural heritage.

Grant funding is already making an impact in other areas across the Black Belt: 

• Performing arts in Bullock and Choctaw Counties, where organizations like the YC Nance Foundation and the WR McGrew Outreach Development and Education Program are creating new opportunities for youth to engage in theater and music.
• Arts Education in Perry County, where the West Perry-Marion Arts & Crafts group provides in-school, after school and summer programs to students to enhance and promote educational training and enrichment through various interdisciplinary arts & crafts.
• Food security in Dallas County, with the Selma Area Food Bank expanding access to nutritious meals for families in need.
• Youth mentorship in Greene County, where Boss Ties LLC is helping young men develop leadership skills and confidence.
• Health education initiatives in Hale County, where Heavenly Hiney Diaper Bank and Bread of Life Ministries are addressing basic family health needs.
• Community wellness in Pickens County, where Harvest Outreach Ministries offers support services and activities for underserved residents.
• Senior outreach in Marengo and Sumter Counties, where groups like Braxton’s Senior Care and Morning Star Senior Citizens Center are creating programming for older adults.
• Cultural preservation and storytelling in Dallas and Wilcox Counties, as organizations like the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy keep traditional quilting art alive for new generations and the Bridge Crossing Jubilee and Foot Soldiers Park honor the region’s civil rights legacy.

Across the region, grassroots leaders are turning grant dollars into dynamic programs that address local challenges, celebrate cultural traditions, and create spaces for hope and healing.

The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is a nonprofit organization serving 12 counties of the Alabama Black Belt – dedicated to improving the quality of life in Alabama’s Black Belt region through education, the arts, economic development, housing, health and wellness and community engagement. Since its founding, BBCF has awarded millions in grants and scholarships to support local initiatives and empower future leaders. Follow BBCF for community developments and more online at www.blackbeltfound.org and or on  social media outlets at BBCF Facebook, Instagram, Youtube Channel, or X/Twitter.