The Community Foundation recently awarded a fourth round of grants from its Black Equity & Excellence Fund. Grants from the fund support Black-led nonprofit organizations and projects that counteract systemic racism. Seventeen grants were distributed, totaling $240,000:
10 Less received $10,000 to host conferences designed to educate youth about historic civic leaders in their community while promoting careers within the judicial system.
100 Black Men of Syracuse received $55,000 to launch the Youth Empowerment Program, a bi-weekly academic mentoring program offered throughout the school year for 4th- to 8th-graders.
AFICA received $5,000 to host demonstrations to teach community members how to grow plants and use them to create healthier natural beauty care products.
Cuse Connection received $10,000 to provide scholarships and student recognition awards to college-bound high school seniors.
Doula 4 a Queen received $10,000 to expand its healing and training services for Black families to help improve their experiences before, during and after birth.
Focusing Our Resources for Community Enlightenment received $25,000 to support the Ready Syracuse Expansion Project, which trains and educates Black residents in emergency preparedness by engaging them in the civic life of the community.
Half Hood Half Holistic received $10,000 to provide Black communities with access to mental wellness support in areas of maternal mental health, relational health and men’s mental health.
J&L Consulting received $10,000 to provide affordable consulting services and Mental Health First Aide Training to Syracuse’s Black community.
J.H.Rolling Arts Education Leadership Strategies received $10,000 to launch the Art of Repair Teen Central New York Workforce Initiative for Neighborhood Success, a neighborhood revitalization effort led by local Black youth in their neighborhoods.
The Kia Foundation received $15,000 to launch the Pet Wellness and Care Workshop, which will provide an opportunity for Black pet owners to learn about pet behavior training, proper feeding, pet grooming and spraying and neutering.
Living While Black Exhibition received $10,000 to create the Living While Black exhibition that consists of quilts and video of spoken word and dance that address many challenges Black residents experience in our country.
NRJ Consulting received $10,000 to provide three months of communications consulting for a local nonprofit organization in need of communications support.
The Nile Dayne Foundation received $21,000 to hire retired educators to tutor students in education and teach them about financial fitness.
PGR Foundation received $10,000 to support the Youth Leadership and Public Speaking Ambassadors programs, which helps young girls develop their communication, presentation and leadership skills through practical experiences.
Soul Filled Art received $14,000 to help women of color recover and heal from past negative experiences by giving them the opportunity to share their life challenges, traumas and mental health experiences through the creation of African Diaspora Ancestral Art Forms.
Syracuse Chapter of the Junior Frontiers of the Mohawk Valley received $10,000 to bring students on a tour of historically black colleges and universities in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Syracuse Strong Amateur Football Club received $5,000 to launch a program for youth from the inner city of Syracuse to learn the skills and abilities it takes to be a leader both on and off of the football field.