The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham recently announced new grants of $1.9 million to 69 nonprofit organizations.  This makes a total of $2.6 million in grants to 107 nonprofits organizations from Community Funds in 2006, compared to 98 organizations and a total of $1.83 million from Community Funds in 2005. A full list is available on The Community Foundation website.

Grant applicants followed guidelines that focused on 29 priorities developed by The Community Foundation as a way to support community concerns identified in the 2005 “Community Counts” indicators report.

Senior Program Officer Patti Whitt said nonprofits received high marks for their efforts to address these priorities, which included early care and education for children in the five-county area. Important programs in early learning include Summer Read! in Blount County, the Imagination Library of Pell City and the HIPPY home-based literacy program in Walker and west Jefferson counties. 

The Community Foundation also used these unrestricted dollars to support the Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama and the Cultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham, organizations that were founded in part by The Community Foundation.  In December, The Community Foundation committed $165,000 over the next three years to NRCA and $60,000 over the next two years to the Cultural Alliance. 

“We hope to repeat our successful role as community leader, convener and catalyst on emerging opportunities, while supporting these key organizations in their important work,” said Kate Nielsen, president of The Community Foundation.  “The Nonprofit Resource Center will celebrate its 10^th year of serving Alabama nonprofits in 2007, while the Cultural Alliance continues to build a support system for cultural organizations and artists in the 12-county region.” 

As of year-end 2005, about one-third of the more than $130 million in total assets of The Community Foundation were made up of Community Funds, the unrestricted dollars dedicated to serving the most pressing needs of the community through competitive grantmaking and initiatives.   “Since our founding in 1959, donors have made gifts to support our Community Funds, making sure that we have a perpetual source of grants to support the most pressing needs of Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, St. Clair and Walker counties,” said Kate Nielsen, president of The Community Foundation.  “We also distribute millions of dollars each year in partnership with individuals, families and businesses that have set up advised funds at The Community Foundation.”