Special to Black Belt Community Foundation

A partnership of three organizations that believe in the power of art in building stronger communities has been formed in Alabama. The three groups are our own Black Belt Community Foundation, the Black Belt Action Commission's Culture and Youth Committee (CYC) and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

The first awards administered by the newly formed Black Belt Arts Initiative to stimulate art creation and appreciation were awarded on June 25, 2006, to 29 organizations. A total of $50,000 was distributed to be used for a variety of programs including arts workshops for youth, community theatre productions, and museum/gallery improvements.

According to BBAI Founding Board Member Carol P. Zippert, the program has two goals: 1) to foster artistic expression and enjoyment and 2) to document work of regional artists and art-focused organizations. At the heart of the program is the philosophy that art is an essential in building healthy communities, not a luxury.

Kristin Law is BBCF's Arts Coordinator for the program. She can be reached at 334-874-1126 or e-mail her at klaw@blackbeltfound.org.

2012 BBAI Arts Grants

The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) invites groups and organizations based in and serving Alabama’s Black Belt to apply for one-year grants for community-led activities around the 12-county Black Belt region. Grants will be awarded in the range of $500 to $3,000. The Board of Directors will announce the 2012 Black Belt Arts Initiative (BBAI) Grant Awards in June. 

Headquartered in Selma, Alabama, BBCF seeks to support community efforts that will contribute to the strength, innovation, and success of Black Belt citizens and communities.  BBCF’s mission is to forge a collective stream of giving from the community and other sources so we, the people of the Black Belt, can enhance our continuing efforts to lift ourselves by taking what we have to make what we need.

The Black Belt Arts Initiative is a project of BBCF in collaboration with the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) and the Cultural and Youth Committee of the Black Belt Action Commission.  A total of $100,000 from ASCA has been allocated for redistribution through the BBAI grants program. 

The goals of the BBAI are to promote artists and arts awareness in the Black Belt and to stimulate creativity among our youth. 

Grant awards are available for projects addressing the following areas:

• Visual Arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, etc.)           
• Performing Arts (dance, theatre, music, etc.)           
• Literary Arts (creative writing, storytelling, literature appreciation, etc.)             
• Traditional Arts (quilting, pottery, folk or traditional music, etc.)
• Cultural History (cultural research, interpretation, appreciation, etc.)
• Interdisciplinary Arts (primary focus on a combination of arts categories, i.e. festivals, etc.)
• Other Areas of Fine or Traditional Arts that coincide with the goals of the BBAI
  

Regardless of the project, the most successful proposals will provide compelling and specific evidence of: 1. participation and leadership demonstrated by community residents, 2. use of your community’s assets, and 3. the potential to transform your community and the Black Belt.

WHO MAY APPLY

BBCF only funds organizations based in and serving communities in our 12-county region: Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox. We anticipate that grants will be awarded in each county. 
                                                                                                                          
Please note that grants will NOT be awarded to:

Deadline for 2012 BBAI Grant Application submission is April 16th, 2012.

Announcement of the winners will be made in June. Grant Applications are available to organizations who attended one of our Community Awareness Grant Seekers Workshops by CLICKING HERE.

Please call or e-mail Kristin Law, Arts Coordinator, for details at 334-874-1126 or by e-mail at klaw@blackbeltfound.or.

 

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