The City of Birmingham awarded nearly $500,000 in grants as part of its Building Opportunities for Lasting Development grant program.
Among the recipients of the grants — given to groups “that are taking creative, evidence-based approaches to solving various community issues” – are the Birmingham Business Alliance, Birmingham Business Resource Center and WE Inc.’s Workforce Development Program.
Here are the grants awarded, according to the city:
- The Birmingham Business Alliance will advance inclusive procurement initiatives with corporate partners to drive local accountability in MWDBE procurement and promote economic inclusion. $70,000
- The Birmingham Business Resource Centerwill forge strengthened relationships between financial institutions and Birmingham’s black-owned businesses to build an inclusive economy and intensify customer engagements that produce procurement opportunities for Birmingham’s black-owned businesses. $45,000
- Bronze Valleyis a nonprofit, early-stage venture investment platform that supports high growth, innovation and technology-enabled companies created by diverse, underrepresented and underestimated founders. They will expand their provision of free professional services and technical assistance to their accelerator participants. $20,000
- Bush Hills Connections Inc.is a nonprofit created to help the neighborhood association implement projects. They will advance community improvement initiatives focused on health and wellness, revitalization, and education (lifelong learning), including launching new green micro-enterprises and support programs. $39,650
- Community Care Development Networkis a faith-based nonprofit serving primarily the 35206 and 35212 zip code areas since 2014. CCDN’s Inspire program helps clients transition from high school to adult life, prison to society, and unemployment/underemployment to career track job skills. $80,000
- The Create Consults professional assistance program will underwrite consultations for local Black-women-owned ventures with experts recruited by Create Birminghamin urgent areas of need: commercial operations, nonprofit operations, accounting, legal services, marketing, community engagement, IT solutions, and life and career coaching. $90,000
- As a nonprofit CDFI, TruFund has a track record of providing Alabama’s historically disadvantaged businesses with disaster recovery tools, affordable and responsible loans and business development services. They will provide recovery and resiliency training and a continuum of technical and business assistance. $35,000
- The Women’s Fund’sproject seeks to address job accessibility and economic insecurity for women and their children, helping meet the workforce shortage demand while supporting talent. TWF will grow its two-generation (2Gen) approach by intentionally catalyzing collaboration among community college and social service nonprofits. $67,620
- WE Inc.’sWorkforce Development Program is a time-limited employment and training program using the WE Made product line as a training ground. Participants produce products, manage inventory, handle shipping and receiving, conduct quality control, and learn “soft skills” of employment. Participants also take job readiness classes. $50,000