STLCF Announces Black Communities Investment Initiative Grant Recipients

St. Louis Community Foundation is excited to announce grant recipients of the Black Communities Investment Initiative (BCII).  BCII was established at the St. Louis Community Foundation (STLCF) to provide operating support and/or capacity building opportunities to Black-led nonprofits directly serving Black communities in the St. Louis Metro Area.  Funded through a $1,000,000 grant from Facebook, Inc., and $500,000 from STLCF’s COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, 82 nonprofit organizations will receive funding beginning in spring 2021.

“This grant from Facebook has helped us to support Black-led nonprofits providing critical services in the St. Louis region,” said Amelia Bond, President & CEO of the St. Louis Community Foundation. “We created the Black Communities Investment Initiative with the hopes of continuing to move our equity promise forward: inspiring purposeful philanthropy that connects community and donors to build and preserve a more equitable and vibrant region, now and forever.”

To support Black communities, Facebook identified the St. Louis Community Foundation as one of 20 partners in a nationwide campaign to invest $20 million in Black communities and Black-led nonprofits around the country. Their $1 million commitment to St. Louis is intended to improve the sustainability of nonprofit organizations embedded in and directly impacting Black communities.  Recognizing their unique ability to enhance nonprofits’ ability to use social media, as part of this grant program Facebook is also offering training and support in social media for grant recipients.

Since its inception, STLCF’s COVID-19 Regional Response Fund sought to support Black communities, as research has shown that Black communities – the individuals, families, nonprofits, and businesses that comprise them – have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fall-out. In response, the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund Advisory Council allocated additional funds to strengthen the Facebook offering, creating a larger pool of funding, and additional capacity building opportunities with a focus on stabilizing organizations affected by the pandemic.

Amplifying community voice, an Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from businesses, nonprofits, funders, consultants, community leaders and the STLCF Board of Directors reviewed applications from 147 organizations with funding requests of more than $4.5 million.

After careful review, 82 organizations were selected to receive funding from BCII. These grants support general operating support for up to two years or one-time capacity building projects in the following impact areas:

• Arts, Culture and Humanities
• Civil Rights, Social Action and Non-Political Advocacy
• Community Improvement and Capacity Building
• Education
• Human Services, including organizations addressing mental health, behavioral health, and trauma

Nonprofits that received funding from BCII include:

• A Call to Conscience
• Access Academies
• Action St. Louis
• African Diaspora Council, Inc.
• All Nanna’s Kids Closet, Inc.
• Almost Home
• Beacon of Light Ministries
• Beloved Streets of America
• BKM 4 Life
• Boys & Girls Club of Alton
• BRAND Foundation
• Bridge of Hope Ministries
• Catholic Urban Programs
• Chariti Home Ministries
• Christian Activity Center
• Circle of Care, St. Louis
• Communities First
• Community Health In Partnership Services
• Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center of St. Clair County, Inc.
• Cornerstone Corporation
• Creative Reaction Lab
• Dragons Drum & Bugle Corps
• Dream Builders 4 Equity
• Elevate St. Louis
• Emmanuel Episcopal Church dba Faith and For the Sake of All
• Epsilon Lambda Charitable Foundation
• ERISE WILLIAMS AND ASSOCIATES INC
• FERGUSON YOUTH INITIATIVE
• Forward Through Ferguson
• Freedom Arts and Education Center
• Future In Action
• Generate Health StL
• Gentlemen of Vision Rites of Passage Enterprises Inc
• Girls Inc.
• Good Journey Development Foundation
• Habitat for Neighborhood Business
• Haven of Grace
• Health Protection and Education Service
• Homes For All St. Louis
• Hope House STL
• It’s Your Birthday, Inc.
• Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House Inc
• LinkStL, Inc.
• Mentors in Motion
• Metro East Literacy Project
• Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council
• Missouri Faith Voices
• Near Southside Employment Coal
• Northside Youth And Senior Service Center
• Park Central Development
• Sickle Cell Association
• Sisters Helping Each other Reach a Higher Height
• SLACO
• Small Business Empowerment Center
• Spanish Lake Community Development Corporation
• SPROG Inc
• St Louis Black Repertory Company
• St. Elizabeth’s Adult Day Care Center, Inc.
• St. Louis Area Diaper Bank
• St. Louis ArtWorks
• St. Louis Black Authors Of Children’s Literature
• St. Louis Graduates
• St. Vincent Home for Children
• STL Village
• Strength and Honor Mentoring and Tutoring
• Tabernacle Community Development Corporation
• The Empowerment Network
• The Fit and Food Connection
• The Greenhouse Communication Initiative, Inc.
• The Griot Museum of Black History
• The Sinai Family Life Center
• The SoulFisher Ministries
• The T
• The Youth and Family Center
• Thomas Dunn Memorials
• Uni-Pres Kindercottage
• United Congregations of Metro East
• URBAN SPROUTS
• VITENDO 4 AFRICA
• Wesley House Association
• Young Voices with Action
• Youth Arts & Technology Center

The St. Louis Community Foundation is committed to serving Black-led and Black-benefitting nonprofits and Black communities. If you have a question regarding the Black Communities Investment Initiative, please contact Elizabeth George, Director of Community Investment, at egeorge@stlgives.org or 314-880-4956 or Nikki Martinez, Community Investment Manager, at nmartinez@stlgives.org or 314-880-4961.