Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
/OVERVIEW: This funder has a competitive grantmaking process that funds local organizations in the fields of education, health, community and financial security. It awards grants twice per year in the counties of Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount and Walker.
IP TAKE: Unlike some community funders, CFGB has an active competitive grantmaking process that accepts applications. Pitch a collaborative effort, but discuss it with the staff first.
PROFILE: The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham (CFGB) was founded by several prominent Birmingham community leaders and philanthropists in 1959 as a permanent charitable endowment. There are more than 450 grantmaking funds at this community foundation, which range in size between $5,000 and $125,000. At the end of a recent year, CFGB’s assets topped $212 million. CFGB is the oldest and largest community foundation in Alabama. It seeks “to be a vehicle to ignite passion for transformational change.”
The foundation makes grants to nonprofits in the Birmingham area from its Community and Field of Interest Funds, which makes up about one-third of the funder’s endowment. It awards grants twice per year in the counties of Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount and Walker.
The foundation awards competitive grants in the following program areas: thriving communities, equity and inclusion, regional cooperation, economic opportunity for all, and overcoming persistent poverty. The foundation also has a rapid-response grant program to address the needs of Alabama’s vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interested grant seekers should check out the foundation’s Grants page to learn more about current grant opportunities and applying for a grant with CFGB.
Grants are made for periods of one to three years. Grant cycle one typically is open in January/February and grant cycle two in August. Per the guidelines, emerging organizations with revenue of less than $25,000 are limited to seed grant requests of no more than $8,000. This funder encourages collaborations among nonprofits, but collaborative requests should be discussed with the senior program officer.
Program support, capital projects and operating expenses are often funded. Grant seekers can view a list of recently funded grants and learn what areas CFGB supports on their previous grants overview at the bottom of the grants page.
In addition to these grants, CFGB also supports initiatives through Field of Interest grants and scholarships. Foundation initiatives have included a Payday Loan Rescue Project, Woodlawn Innovation Network, and Central Six Workforce Development Council.
Grant seekers can also sign up for the foundation’s e-newsletter to keep up with current happenings.
PEOPLE:
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