FROM THE CENTRAL ALABAMA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Top Photo: The Wetumpka Depot was one of the local recipients of a grant from CACF.
MONTGOMERY, AL – The Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF) awarded $119,377.00 in grants on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 to 15 River Region nonprofits that support the arts and community initiatives in Montgomery, Lowndes, Macon, Autauga and Elmore counties.
The Arts and Community Building Grants are part of the Cultural and Community Enhancement Grant Cycle that CACF manages. Applications for these grants were submitted last year and were approved by CACF’s Board of Directors in January. Funds from these grants will go directly toward assisting many within these communities.
Nonprofits receiving 2024 CACF Arts and Community Building Grants:
Central Alabama Community Foundation ($93,969.00)
Arts Grants ($51,094.00)
$12,500.00 to Alabama Dance Theatre for Stars on the Riverfront, an annual free dance performance at the Riverwalk Amphitheater.
$10,000.00 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival to fund the participation of two Montgomery Public Schools high schools in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, where ASF teaching artists will work with students for nine weeks at their schools to stage a Shakespeare play and complete ASF Master Classes, culminating with performances at ASF for the public and their classmates.
$6,800.00 to The Children’s Center of Montgomery, Inc. to support the costs of a certified artist and supplies for the Center’s art program for its adult clients.
$5,000.00 to The Cloverdale Playhouse to provide scholarships to K-12 grade students participating in the Playhouse Workshop Series
$10,013.00 to Flatline Community Coalition to support the costs of providing a 13-week after-school music education program for middle and high school students about the history of hip hop, its impacts on society, and the skills of music production and lyric composition, resulting in the students recording and performing songs they compose that feature positive messages for their peers.
$6,781.00 to Many Colors Arts Collective to purchase equipment that expands the types of artmaking offered to include textile arts, photography, and printing for differently abled adults to explore their creative talents in a safe space and engage in art that may earn them income.
Community Building Grants ($42,875.00)
$10,000.00 to Common Ground Montgomery to provide 20 scholarships for students referred by partnering Montgomery nonprofits to attend one week of summer camp at Camp Onawa in Chilton County
$8,000.00 to Fathers of St. Edmund Southern Missions, Inc. to provide eight computers for the implementation of Tech Savvy Seniors, a comprehensive program providing senior citizens with the skills to effectively and safely use computers and other digital devices at its Good Shepherd Center in Lowndes County
$7,875.00 to FBC Community Ministries, Inc. to support the costs of the Latino Festival and educational programming about Indigenous peoples of America provided by the Nehemiah Center for the Chisholm neighborhood.
$12,000.00 to New Beginnings Educational Center to support the costs of the Center’s tutoring and mentoring after-school program that focuses on neighboring communities such as the Paterson Court and Victor Tulane Gardens
$5,000.00 to Women of Refined Gold, Inc. to provide facilitator stipends and art supplies for six monthly workshops open to the public that will focus on domestic violence education and allow participants to communicate their stories through painting or photography
Autauga Area Community Foundation ($7,500.00)
Arts Grants ($7,500.00)
$2,500.00 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival to provide tickets for 250 Autauga County students to attend SchoolFest performances that will include classroom study guides and interaction with the cast and crew after the performance.
$2,500.00 to the Autauga-Prattville Public Library to support the costs of Character Day, held monthly from March to September for children ages three to ten years, which showcases familiar characters from books, movies, or television shows with character meet and greets, story time, and craft and activity stations and has the goal of encouraging parents and children to visit the library.
$2,500.00 to The Noah Foundation to support the costs of music therapy for children with autism to enhance their communication, emotional, and social skills.
Elmore County Community Foundation ($7,500.00)
Arts Grants ($7,500.00)
$2,500.00 to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival to provide tickets for 250 Elmore County students to attend SchoolFest performances that will include classroom study guides and interaction with the cast and crew after the performance.
$2,500.00 to The Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery to support the costs of four art workshops for adults with a focus on senior citizens and with each one relating to the quarterly opening of a main exhibit.
$2,500.00 to the Wetumpka Depot Players to support the costs of staging the musical Spamalot.
CACF Technical Assistance Grants ($7,408.00)
$2,500.00 to Alabama Dance Theatre to purchase two computers for administration tasks and an accounting software license for remote work.
$2,408.00 to Alabama Shakespeare Festival to replace four laptops that will be used for administrative work, for communication with directors and designers, and to run cues for sounds and lights.
$2,500.00 to Dream Court to purchase a laptop for use in creating multi-media campaigns and website content and with new nonprofit management software.
Field of Interest Grants ($3,000.00)
ECCF Clara Lull Robison Beautification Grant ($3,000.00)
$3,000.00 to The Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery to purchase two benches that will be a part of a seated sculpture garden adjacent to the gallery and provide visitors with a view of the Bibb Graves Bridge and Coosa River
Total Amount Awarded: $119,377.00
Central Alabama Community Foundation, with its affiliates Autauga Area Community Foundation, Elmore County Community Foundation, and Southeast Alabama Community Foundation, acknowledges with great appreciation the community trust funds listed below.
CACF Community Champions
CACF Endowment
Drake Cameron Fund
James French Estate Fund
James & Elizabeth Hodgson Memorial Fund
Melissa Jackson Fund
Wilbur G & Anne Wood Johnson Fund
Frank & Sidney McGough Memorial Community Fund
John Van McGough Memorial Community Fund
Fred Richard Estate Fund
Fred Richard Charity Fund I
Till Charity Fund
Margie W. & Luther H. Waller Fund
Clara Robison Caskie Community Trust Fund
Elmore County Community Trust
Pierce Challenge Fund
William Finley Sahlie Memorial
The Roberts and Mildred Blount – Seven Gables Fund
Autauga Area Community Trust
Hope & Edward Wadsworth Family Fund
Mabel Elizabeth Willoughby Charitable Foundation
Wiregrass Community Endowment
These Funds are built from the gifts of many generous individuals and businesses. Thanks to these donors, we are able to make grants to support these worthwhile projects.
ABOUT CACF: For over 37 years, the Central Alabama Community Foundation has been a valued community partner and resource for nonprofits and students in the River Region and Wiregrass. Through the generous support of individual and corporate donors, the foundation provides over $5 million in grants and scholarships each year that meet diverse community needs, supporting programs and projects in education, human services, health, cultural arts, and other civic concerns. Our mission is to create a better quality of life for those who live and work in the River Region for many years to come. For more information, visit www.cacfinfo.org
