Philadelphia Black Giving Circle’s 1st Grant Cycle
The Philadelphia Black Giving Circle (PBGC) launched in February 2018 with a mission to build the capacity and financial sustainability of Philadelphia’s Black-led/Black serving non-profits while also promoting a culture of charitable giving and philanthropy within the Black community. After a membership and fundraising campaign, applications were accepted between November 1, 2018 through December 13, 2018, with the announcement and awarding of grants in February 2019.
The Philadelphia Black Giving Circle (PBGC) was proud to hold its first grant award ceremony on Thursday, February 28, 2019 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Independence Live. During the ceremony, six grantees were awarded grants of up to $5000 for general operating support and given the opportunity to speak about their work and their missions.
Learn more about the honorees and view photos from this special event below!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2019 GRANT AWARD HONOREES!
African family health organization
AFAHO works to assist, serve, and empower members of the African and Caribbean immigrant and refugee communities in the greater Philadelphia area who experience difficulties accessing health and human services to improve their access to these services. Annually, AFAHO provides direct services to nearly 800 members of these communities and reaches another 1,000 through community outreach and education with a small staff of committed individuals. The organization is committed to assisting those hard-to-reach and under served members of the population most impacted by health disparities in order to improve their health outcomes. Based on community assessments of the African Diaspora, they have found that focusing on preventive healthcare is essential to improving the long-term health of these communities. Prevention, screening and treatment services are critical in addressing chronic conditions that have a disproportionate impact on people of African descent. This is central to their mission and they aim to expand our prevention, education and access to treatment programs to Africa and the Caribbean.
Website: www.afaho.net
HORIZONS HOSTED AT GREEN STREET FRIENDS SCHOOL
Horizons Hosted At Green Street Friends School’s mission is “changing the life trajectory of low-income students by instilling in them the joy of learning, the skills for success, and the inspiration to realize their dreams.” At its core, Horizons is a six-week summer program that takes place on campuses across the country. In Summer 2016, Horizons at Greene Street Friends School was launched in Germantown as the first Philadelphia program. Children from John Wister Elementary begin their program in kindergarten and will return every year through middle school. Students gain 2-3 months of reading and math skills each summer (their peers typically lose 2-3 months), plus they learn to swim and explore music, theater, art and other activities that build self-confidence and cultivate creativity and leadership. 98% of Horizons students graduate from high school and 96% enroll in post-secondary education. This is a game changer for families in Germantown.
Website: www.horizonsgreenestreetfriends.org
I’M FREE - FEMALES REENTERING EMPOWERING EACH OTHER
I’m FREE – Females Reentering Empowering Each Other, a woman-centered organization advances the life chances of women transitioning from corrections to community by advocating for gender-responsive, trauma-informed care; providing consultation to agencies and offering innovative services for the women and their families. Their vision is to create an innovative, interactive model using best practices and infusing therapeutic and holistic approaches to guide formerly incarcerated women to self-sustaining lifestyles. It is their intent for every woman to reconnect with society and her family, revitalize her sense of purpose, and renew her mind; thus, freeing herself from an institutionalized way of living.
Website: www.imfreeonline.org
MILL CREEK FARM
Mill Creek Urban Farm is an educational farm and environmental education center located in West Philadelphia. They are dedicated to improving local access to fresh, chemical-free produce at low cost for the immediate Mill Creek community and surrounding neighborhoods. They are a people of color-led non-profit organization in service of communities of color in need of basic resources. Mill Creek Urban Farm is dedicated to cultivating a healthy environment, growing strong communities and promoting a just and sustainable food system. The organizations envision a world in which everyone has access to affordable, healthy, culturally appropriate food, and where local communities work collaboratively to build a food system that is socially just and environmentally and economically sustainable.
Website: www.millcreekurbanfarm.org
SOIL GENERATION
Soil Generation is a Black & Brown-led coalition of gardeners, farmers, individuals, and community-based organizations working to ensure people of color regain community control of land and food, to secure access to the resources necessary to determine how the land is used, address community health concerns, grow food and improve the environment. They will reach these goals through relationship building, honoring culture, community education, organizing, activism and advocacy: a People’s Agroecology.
Website: WWW.soilgeneration.org
URBAN TREE CONNECTION
The Urban Tree Connection (UTC) works with residents in Philadelphia’s historically marginalized urban communities to revitalize their neighborhoods by transforming abandoned open spaces into safe and functional places that inspire and promote positive human interaction. Founded in 1989 and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1997, UTC works with residents of West Philadelphia's Haddington neighborhood to develop community-driven greening and gardening projects on vacant land. Our aim is to cultivate community leadership, to improve community health and to develop a local, sustainable, and equitable food system.
Website: www.urbantreeconnection.org
