WS Chronicle

The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI) announces $151,000 in Advancing Equity in Education grants, more than double the funding awarded through this grant program in 2021. 

This grant cycle focused on BPI’s goal of advancing equity in education so that Black students and graduates can gain access, advance, and have the support needed to thrive. BPI prioritized Black-led organizations, public schools with a high population of Black students, and organizations and programs that invest directly in predominantly Black schools and/or neighborhoods.

Grants were awarded to:  

*Action4Equity: $15,000 to support a mentorship program for middle school boys of color using integrated and holistic behavioral and mental health components

*Big 4 of Forsyth County: $15,000 to provide peer support groups, discussions, cultural activities, and education for students attending historically Black high schools

*Carver High School: $15,000 to create constructive alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices by providing training in peer mediation, restorative practices, and implicit bias for students and teachers

*Christ Kingdom Building Worship Center: $5,000 to provide food and supplies for a local summer Freedom School site

*Grace Presbyterian Church, USA: $11,000 for a summer enrichment camp incorporating a multi-generational approach to youth mentorship

*Kimberley Park Elementary School: $10,000 to engage retired teachers in weekly literacy interventions to improve student outcomes in kindergarten and first grade

*LEAD Girls of North Carolina: $15,000 to support 40 girls in a year-round leadership and personal development program

*Paisley IB Magnet School: $15,000 to launch a student-to-student mentoring program to build literacy skills

*Read, Empower, and Distinguish (READ): $15,000 to train, equip, and empower parents with literacy skills to teach their children and prevent learning loss for Black and brown students

*Sherman Academy: $15,000 to support programming to increase academic achievement and build leadership skills, confidence, and high self-esteem in Black children

*TCJ Motivations: $15,000 for a Black male mentorship, tutoring, and academic coaching program

*Winston-Salem Freedom Schools: $5,000 to support strategic planning and evaluation for a collective of nine Freedom School sites

BPI’s grants are possible thanks to the collective pooling of resources from Forsyth County community members. In 2022, BPI has already provided $161,500 in grants to local programs and initiatives, investing 100% of those funds into Black-led organizations or schools supporting the local Black community.  

BPI currently offers three grant programs: Impact grants, Advancing Equity in Education grants, and Building an Inclusive Economy grants. BPI is accepting video applications for its Impact grants program through Tuesday, Aug. 2. To learn more about these grant programs and to find ways to contribute to this work, visit bpiws.org.