Building Black Communities Fund distributes 40 grants

Arkansas Community Foundation and the Arkansas Black Philanthropy Collaborative announced Tuesday (June 22) that 40 grants from the Building Black Communities Fund have been awarded to Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit organizations in Central Arkansas.

The grants support programs and initiatives specifically designed to impact Black people and communities in the Little Rock metropolitan statistical area, which includes Pulaski, Saline, Perry, Grant, Faulkner and Lonoke counties.

“Facebook, Inc. provided the funding, the Community Foundation provided the infrastructure to make the grants and Black leaders in Central Arkansas determined which nonprofits received them,” said Heather Larkin, President and CEO of Arkansas Community Foundation.

Grant recipients serve in at least one of the following areas:

· Small business support and economic development
· Community improvement
· Human services ad basic needs
· Civil rights, social action, organizing and advocacy (non-political)
· Leadership development and capacity building
· Education
· Arts/Culture/Humanities
· Health

“This significant grant funding will empower Black-led organizations to amplify their voice in the giving space,” said Derek Lewis of the Black Philanthropy Collaborative. “All 40 grant recipients were able to demonstrate established relationships and a good track record of working on activities that impact Black communities.”

For more information about this program and a list of this year’s recipients, click here.