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Sponsored by Baton Rouge Alliance for Students
After unveiling a hugely successful grant program last year, the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students more than doubled its impact in 2023 with local nonprofit organizations receiving $215,000 in funding this year. That brings the total investment by the Alliance over the past two years to $450,000.
Through its Community Building Grants, the Alliance is aiming to forge strong partnerships with other community organizations that share a similar mission of improving the quality of life for Baton Rouge students.
The Community Building Grant awards for 2023 range in value from $2,000 to $25,000 and
are tailored to each organization’s needs. The grants support six priority areas selected by the Alliance. Those areas include:
Equity: Projects demonstrate the Alliance’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Student growth and development: Efforts provide services and support for students and families.
Leadership development: Programming encourages the development of a diverse pipeline of community leaders.
Family and community voice: Programming encourages the development of community advocacy.
Youth empowerment: Projects provide opportunities for the elevation of student voices.
Out-of-school time: Programming impacts after-school and summer learning experiences.
In 2022, the grant program’s first year, eight organizations received a total of $100,000 to support their work. In 2023, with more awareness of the program, nearly 100 agencies applied and 19 received funding, including agencies who had been funded the previous year.
To continue the strong momentum of the previous year and reach even more groups, the Alliance, led by CEO Adonica Duggan, opted to significantly increase funding this year, and that has meant a great deal to the recipient agencies.
Nicole Scott, founder and executive director of The Bridge Agency Inc., says, “Grant funds are the heartbeat of our non-profit, breathing life into our community initiatives and enabling us to turn our mission into impactful action, creating positive change one family at a time.”
Jannean Dixon, CEO and co-founder of Redstick C.A.R.E.S., says the Community Building Grant her agency received allows it to continue programming for its Cares Team, which serves teens and young adults with special needs. “The unique opportunities we provide to these remarkable young people aren’t available anywhere else in our area,” Dixon says.
2023 Community Building Grant Recipients:
- Baton Rouge Youth Coalition
- Blossom
- City Year Baton Rouge
- Fathers On A Mission (F.O.A.M)
- Girls on the Run South Louisiana
- Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge
- Imagination Leads Nonprofit
- Kids’ Orchestra
- Louisiana Youth Seminar
- MetroMorphosis
- Power Pump Girls, Inc.
- Project Big Dot
- Redstick CARES
- The BRidge Agency, INC
- The Center for Literacy & Learning
- The Langston Galloway Foundation
- The Walls Project
- Thrive Foundation
- Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS)
More information about the work being done by the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students can be found online at bralliance.org. A community impact celebration will be held Dec. 6 to recognize 2023 grant recipients.
