BPI Announces $105,000 in Building an Inclusive Economy Grants

The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI) announces $105,000 in grants awarded through its Building an Inclusive Economy grants program. These awards bring BPI’s 2023 grantmaking total to $236,000.

This grant cycle focused on building economic empowerment for Black households in Forsyth County by addressing one or more of the following areas BPI sees as critical to building economic security and prosperity: creating accessible pathways to family-sustaining and high-paying careers, offering tools for wealth-building and financial stability, and supporting a thriving community of Black-owned businesses.    

Grants were awarded to:  

• Crosby Scholars Community Partnership: $15,000 to equip a cohort of Black male students with tools and strategies to build careers in finance, business, or entrepreneurship beyond post-secondary education
• Flowers Ministries Inc.: $10,000 to pilot a mentor program providing Black male high school students with education and job certification opportunities in clinical laboratory science  
• God's Butterfly THE MOVEMENT: $15,000 for a 3-phase program aiming to educate, empower, and equip women impacted by trauma with tools to achieve entrepreneurial goals and holistic healing through therapeutic arts
• S. G. Atkins Community Development Corporation: $15,000 to provide minority women with individualized business counseling, mentorship, and monthly training to effectively manage and grow their businesses
• The Do School: $15,000 for capacity building to assess organizational impact and scale program offerings in the construction trade industry
• The Dream Team Foundation, Inc.: $15,000 to support a comprehensive financial literacy program helping participants achieve their financial goals through coaching, education, and planning

• The Dream Center of Forsyth County: $15,000 for a pilot adult mentoring program provides proving 1-on-1 mentorship, goal planning, and access to resources to support economic mobility and emotional wellness
• Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce: $5,000 for a pilot entrepreneurship program engaging youth ages 14-18 from the east Winston-Salem community

BPI’s grants are possible thanks to the collective pooling of resources from Forsyth County community members. In 2023 BPI provided $236,000 in grants to local programs and initiatives, investing 96% of those funds into Black-led organizations supporting the local Black community.  

BPI currently offers three grant programs: Impact Grants, Advancing Equity in Education Grants, and Inclusive Economy Grants. BPI will announce an opportunity to apply for its Equity in Education grant program in spring 2024.

ABOUT BPI

The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI) is a 100% Black-led initiative of The Winston-Salem Foundation launched in 2003 that explicitly, not exclusively, focuses its grantmaking and programming on needs identified in the local Black community. Since 2008, BPI has provided more than $1 million in grant funding to local organizations.   For more information, visit bpiws.org.