Arizona

The Arizona Community Foundation has announced that the endowment for its Black Philanthropy Initiative has doubled to $1.2 million. Established in 2018 to fund projects and programs that address racial inequities and support Black-led businesses in the state, the BPI Social Justice Fund was awarded a $600,000 grant from USAA to create an Arizona Black Business Directory and support the efforts of local nonprofits to train, mentor, and provide resources to twenty Black-led businesses over two years.

California

The COVID-19 Community Response Fund at the San Diego Foundation has awarded an additional $300,000 in grants to help Black, Latinx, and Asian businesses survive while stay-at-home orders are in place. Grants of $100,000 to the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and Asian Business Association of San Diego will be distributed by the three organizations where they can make the most impact.

The Santa Barbara Foundation has announced the appointments of James Rogers, Matt Rowe, and Tracy Stouffer to its board of trustees. Rogers is founder and CEO of Apeel Sciences, Rowe is a financial advisor, and Stouffer recently retired after nearly forty years in the financial services industry.

Colorado

The Community Foundation Boulder County, in partnership with Boulder County Community Services and Jewish Family Service, has announced the launch of the Wildfire Mental Health Program. A response to the Cal-Wood and Lefthand Canyon fires, which burned almost eleven thousand acres, destroyed dozens of properties, and resulted in the evacuation of thousands of residents in October, the program will connect individuals and families directly impacted by the fires to licensed mental health providers in Boulder County. WMHP will offer up to $500 for five individual therapy sessions (a maximum of $100 per session), or up to $875 for five family therapy sessions (a maximum of $175 per session), from a pool of licensed providers.

Georgia

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has announced that its GoATL Fund has received a $2 million capital commitment from a local foundation in support of future investments in the community. The fund was established to provide flexible capital to nonprofits and social enterprises in the metro region impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and provides payment deferrals; hosts webinars focused on relief and recovery strategies for other foundations, investors, and nonprofits; and deploys capital to address existing needs in the community. The fund recently closed a $250,000 investment in LiftFund that will enable the organization to provide zero-percent loans to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)-owned micro-businesses in the region.

Louisiana

The Greater New Orleans Foundation has announced that the city's transportation and public works committees have voted to recommend a five-year agreement between the city and Blue Krewe, a nonprofit that is seeking to operate a new bike-share program in the city, replacing the Blue Bikes program that was suspended last spring. If the agreement is approved by the full council, Blue Krewe, which has received seed funding and other assistance from GNOF, hopes to have the program up and running by September 1.

Maine

The Maine Community Foundation helped raise $56,000 in a week for homeless shelters in Ellsworth, the Ellsworth American reports. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the roof of the Emmaus Center and the septic system at Sister Barbara Hance House failed, imperiling Ellsworth's already space-challenged homeless system. Of the total raised, $23,000 will help pay for a new roof at the former, while $29,000 will help underwrite the cost of the septic system.

Michigan

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, in partnership with global public health organization Vital Strategies, has announced grants of $50,000 each to ten community foundations working to reduce the number of overdose deaths in the state. To that end, Vital Strategies' Overdose Prevention Program is partnering with CFSEM and the Council of Michigan Foundations to launch the Michigan Harm Reduction Project and provide support to local groups working to expand their harm reduction services. Grant recipients include the Battle Creek Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Muskegon County, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, and Community Foundation of Monroe County.

North Carolina

The Foundation for the Carolinas has announced that it is accepting new applications for the hundred and fifty scholarship programs it manages. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $10,000, and each scholarship program has its own eligibility criteria. In 2020, the foundation awarded $2.4 million in scholarships to more than a thousand students in the state.

Ohio

The David C. Herriman Fund at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation has announced annual arts funding awards totaling $226,000 to three organizations: Cincinnati Opera, Q-Kidz, and the ish Festival. The awards, which are available to arts organizations in the foundation's eight-county service region (Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana) honor the legacy of the late northern Kentucky philanthropist and arts patron David C. Herriman and are focused on supporting new works, youth education, and live (or virtual) performances.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma City Community Foundation has announced grants totaling $214,000 in support of programs that help senior citizens live independently. Grant recipients include Sunbeam Family Services, Oklahoma City Ballet, Rebuilding Together OKC, and Villages OKC.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Foundation has announced grants totaling $481,000 in support of animal welfare programs across the state, including low-cost vet care for pets in low-income households, animal adoption services, and wildlife rehabilitation. Awarded through the foundation's Program for Animal Welfare, the grants include support for the Potter League for Animals, North Kingstown Animal Protection League, Ten Lives Cat Rescue, and Scruffy Paws Pet Rescue.