Initiated in 2022, the African American Community Fund seeks to promote and support the African American community in Washington County in five focus areas: culture, community development, education and enrichment, history and preservation, and entrepreneurship.
The WCCF Board of Trustees approved the Fund as the Foundation’s newest pooled, special-interest fund. This designation will result in ongoing efforts by the Foundation to actively seek contributions to grow the Fund through current and planned gifts.
“We are very grateful to the founding donors of the African American Community Fund for their generosity and their vision to craft a comprehensive charitable purpose for the fund, which will serve to celebrate and uplift African Americans in Washington County in perpetuity,” remarked WCCF President & CEO Betsie Trew. “And we are grateful to other donors who made leadership gifts to the Fund so that it could begin issuing grants in 2023. Our hope is that others will follow the lead of these donors and make contributions to the Fund to increase its grantmaking impact.”
Contributions to the African American Community Fund can be made via the Foundation’s website at www.wccf.net or by contacting the Foundation at 724-222-6330.
The first round of grants from the Fund will be awarded in the second quarter of this year. Nonprofit organizations who would like to be considered for a grant should submit a request via the Foundation’s grants management portal through February 28. Requests may range from $1,000 to $5,000. A primary goal of the Fund is to empower community members to think creatively to design or sustain programs and projects for the African American community. However, grants will only be issued to nonprofit organizations so interested community members are required to apply for a grant through an established nonprofit organization.
The Foundation manages about 200 component funds that support a variety of charitable purposes to improve the quality of life in Washington County. Grants are provided to public charities, public school districts and other educational institutions, fire departments, municipalities, etc.