.svg){kind=logo}
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.
JUne 2025 GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Authoring Action: $15,000 to support a creative writing and filmmaking program for youth impacted by the juvenile justice system, using storytelling to build agency, literacy, and leadership
- CDC 4 Southern Winston-Salem: $15,000 to offer a culturally affirming academic program that helps kindergarten students with no prior schooling build strong foundational skills in reading and math
- The Feeling Friends Community Center for Culturally Responsive Emotional Intelligence, Inc.: $15,000 to support the emotional wellness, leadership development, and academic success of Black high school girls through emotional intelligence education, leadership, and mentorship
- Magnolia House Foundation: $15,000 to support the Magnolia Shoebox educational program on Winston-Salem’s history of the Negro Traveler and their safe spaces during travel restriction
- NC EmpowerUp: $15,000 to support a literacy camp designed to enhance creative writing, improve reading proficiency, and introduce book publishing and entrepreneurship to middle schoolers
- REAL Impact Foundation: $15,000 to launch a culturally responsive youth entrepreneurship incubator providing mentorship, digital access, and startup funding for Black high school students
HOW TO APPLY
Applications will open March 30. Review the grant guidelines and apply online by midnight on May 4.
Interested in learning more before you apply? BPI will host virtual information sessions on April 14 and April 16 to review funding priorities and the application process.
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.
