Black Philanthropy Initiative Announces 2019 Grant Recipients during Black Philanthropy Month

The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI) announces $25,000 in grants awarded from the Black Philanthropy Fund’s tenth grant cycle, supporting programs that are improving the lives of African Americans in the area of Advancing Racial Equity in Education. Proposals were requested that addressed outcome gaps in the education-to-career continuum within the following focus areas: post-secondary education pathways; talent & workforce development; career advancement; and economic security and mobility.

• Crosby Scholars – $5,000 to pilot an investment club for 25 students participating in the African American Males Pursuing Educational Dreams program
• John F. Kennedy High School – $5,000 to provide college tours for 30, 11th grade students
• Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy – $5,000 to provide tours of local colleges and universities
• Winston-Salem Urban League – $5,000 to seed a small business mini-grant fund for minority-owned businesses
• Winston-Salem Urban League – $5,000 to fund college tours for youth participating in a summer employment program

Roger Hyman, chair of the Black Philanthropy Initiative, states:

“We’re pleased to announce these grants during Black Philanthropy Month, which is dear to my heart. Black America has been in the business of philanthropy for generations. We started with helping our fellow neighbors with staple goods and services as well as tithing and paying offering in our churches. Remembering and fostering philanthropy during the month of August helps to serve as a reminder of the rich heritage of giving of the African-American people.”

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‍Black Philanthropy Month, created in 2011 and held every August, is an annual, global celebration of African-descent giving. Its primary goals are informing, involving, and investing in black philanthropic leadership to strengthen African-American and African-descent giving in all its forms.

Launched in 2007, the Black Philanthropy Initiative serves as a model for rethinking philanthropy in Forsyth County’s black community. Through engagement and encouragement, BPI educates people to utilize their philanthropic strengths of time, talent, and treasure to impact meaningful change and address identified needs in the black community. Over the course of the past nine years, the Black Philanthropy Initiative has provided $192,527 in program grants to local nonprofits.

For more information on the Black Philanthropy Initiative, visit wsfoundation.org/bpi.