Alabama

The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham has announced that its Remy Fund for Pets and Animal Services has awarded more than $500,000 in support of organizations in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker counties working to help companion animals (dogs, cats, and horses). In 2021, with the support of other generous donors, including a $100,000 gift from VP Funds, the Remy Fund surpassed $1 million in total assets.

Arizona

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona in Tucson has announced that its LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund received a gift from longtime supporters Kristen Birner and Colette Barajas to establish an endowment. They are the first lesbian couple to create such an endowment for the Alliance Fund, which now has six endowed funds.

California

The San Diego Foundation has announced a grant of $150,000 to Teach for America San Diego in support of Alumni Innovation, a pilot initiative to recruit and place 30 teachers of color in three to five school districts in the county. According to the foundation, a representation gap in who teaches and leads children can perpetuate systemic barriers to access and opportunity that disproportionately impact students of color. Teachers of color can positively guide students who identify with their teachers racially and culturally to pursue professional careers and diversify the workforce. According to research by Johns Hopkins University, Black students who had just one Black teacher by third grade were 13 percent more likely to enroll in college, and those who’d had two were 32 percent more likely.

Nebraska

The Omaha Community Foundation has published a guide to organizations in the area working to fight hate and racism, promote acceptance, and cultivate inclusion. The resource includes the Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, Fabric Lab, the Tri-Faith Initiative, and Black Men United.

New Mexico

The Santa Fe Community Foundation has awarded $460,500 in wildfire relief grants to date through its Community Resiliency Fund. The grants provide core operating support to nonprofit organizations in the foundation’s geographic funding region of Mora, San Miguel, Rio Arriba, and Santa Fe counties that were impacted by wildfires earlier this year.

Tennessee

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in Nashville has announced that Ellen Lehman, its founder and president, will retire at the end of the year. In recognition of her decades of leadership, the foundation will honor her with the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award in 2023 and has named Lehman a Lifetime Honorary Trustee of the organization.

Wisconsin

The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation has announced the appointment of Maribeth Franken as donor services manager. Most recently, she served as associate director of admission at St. Norbert College and has previously worked at the Green Bay Botanical Garden.