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Advancing Equity in Education Grants
BPI’s focus of advancing racial equity in education comes from the data in BPI’s Rethinking Philanthropy report released in 2018, which reveals how systemic inequities have disproportionately affected Black residents. As a strategic initiative of The Winston-Salem Foundation, this grant program directly aligns with one of the Foundation’s focus areas: to advance equity in education.
BPI wants to address the deliberate and systematic efforts that deprive schools in Black and brown communities, therefore denying students the resources to thrive and reach their full potential. We want to ensure that students of color, especially Black students, are able to learn in a supportive environment that respects their humanity, upholds their dignity, and has the resources to provide students with the space to learn, grow, and thrive.
We support grant proposals that:
- are designed with a focus on racial equity, to ensure all K-12 and higher education systems have the support they need to ensure that every student thrives.
- are designed to make a positive impact on students of color with an explicit focus on Black students.
- are being implemented by a 501(c)(3)organization, public school or higher education institution, or a faith-based organization. (Organizations that do not have a 501(c)(3) may ask an organization with this exemption to serve as a fiscal agent.)
Priority will be given to:
- Black-led groups/organizations (Organizations where more than 50% of leadership staff are Black and/or more than 50% of board members are Black.)
- Organizations and programs that invest directly in predominately Black neighborhoods (including 27101, 27105, and 27107).
- Organizations that are actively engaging those they are working with to help guide the organization’s work and determine its goals.
Examples of potential grant requests include programs that address inequities with remote learning access, improve disciplinary policies and practices that impact students of color, and provide implicit bias training for educators.
July 2022 GRANT RECIPIENTS
In July 2022, BPI requested proposals that work toward advancing racial equity in education so that Black students and graduates can gain access, advance, and have the support needed to thrive.
- Action4Equity: $15,000 to support a mentorship program for middle school boys of color using integrated and holistic behavioral and mental health components
- Big 4 of Forsyth County: $15,000 to provide peer support groups, discussions, cultural activities, and education for students attending historically Black high schools
- Carver High School: $15,000 to create constructive alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices by providing training in peer mediation, restorative practices, and implicit bias for students and teachers
- Christ Kingdom Building Worship Center: $5,000 to provide food and supplies for a local summer Freedom School site
- Grace Presbyterian Church, USA: $11,000 for a summer enrichment camp incorporating a multi-generational approach to youth mentorship
- Kimberley Park Elementary School: $10,000 to engage retired teachers in weekly literacy interventions to improve student outcomes in kindergarten and first grade
- LEAD Girls of North Carolina: $15,000 to support 40 girls in a year-round leadership and personal development program
- Paisley IB Magnet School: $15,000 to launch a student-to-student mentoring program to build literacy skills
- Read, Empower, and Distinguish (READ): $15,000 to train, equip, and empower parents with literacy skills to teach their children and prevent learning loss for Black and Brown students
- Sherman Academy: $15,000 to support programming to increase academic achievement and build leadership skills, confidence, and high self-esteem in Black children
- TCJ Motivations: $15,000 for a Black male mentorship, tutoring, and academic coaching program
- Winston-Salem Freedom Schools: $5,000 to support strategic planning and evaluation for a collective of nine Freedom School sites
JULY 2023 GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Authoring Action: $13,000 for Just Us, a creative writing and filmmaking program designed for justice-involved youth ages 12-17
- Carter G. Woodson School: $13,000 to pilot a Restorative Justice program for 7th and 8th graders exploring alternative discipline policies to keep students in school and learning
- Cook Literacy Model School: $13,000 for staff professional development in adverse childhood experiences, trauma-informed teaching, and restorative practices
- Developing Future Leaders, Inc: $13,000 for the Core Pneuma initiative to provide personalized coaching to Black male WS/FCS students facing personal challenges. Participants gain understanding and awareness of self-identity, self-trauma, self-control, and self-mapping
- Konnoak Community Freedom School: $13,000 for a six-week summer literacy and enrichment program serving middle and high school students
- Pathway Community Foundation: $13,000 for a five-month HBCU smart cities challenge engaging WSSU students to learn and build technology-driven solutions to benefit our community
- TURN INC Community Development Corp: $13,000 for the Young Black Men Stepping Up male mentoring program for middle school boys to include a tutoring and enrichment component
- WS RISE: $13,000 for the Academic Proficiency Recovery Program, providing students with customized learning plans, extended learning services, and family engagement support
- YWCA of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County: $13,000 for the Best Choice Center STEM-focused summer camp fostering academic learning, self-esteem, and leadership.
HOW TO APPLY
Guidelines and application materials will be available again in Spring 2024.
Do you have a proposal idea you'd like to discuss before you apply? We'd like to hear from you! Please contact us to schedule a conversation.
