The Central Alabama Community Foundation awarded more than $130,000 in Wellness & Education Grants to nonprofit organizations serving students and educators throughout the River Region on Thursday.
Just because CACF was awarding grants in Wetumpka did not mean the organization wanted the highlight on it. Instead president Burton Crenshaw wanted to thank the organizations that serve the residents of 14 counties in the River Region including Elmore County.
“I understand you come up and thank us for these grants, but we really just thank y'all for all the work you do,” Crenshaw said. “We are just a part of helping you do that work. We are fortunate that our donors have provided us with these resources to do this, but y'all the ones doing all the work.”
Crenshaw said the grants support educational initiatives and wellness programs that foster academic success, promote youth development and create brighter futures across Central Alabama. Thursday’s grant awards program recognized the important work of organizations dedicated to strengthening communities through education and support services.
Elmore County Community Foundation education grants issued by CACF Thursday totaled $14,000.
• $2,000 was awarded to the Alabama Wildlife Federation to support 118 sixth graders enrolled in Elmore County Public Schools attending the Elmore County Water Festival at the Alabama Nature Center.
• $3,000 went to Elmore County Family Resource Center to support the costs of implementing the Parent Project Program in collaboration with the Elmore County Board of Education and the Elmore County Juvenile Court for parents of students accumulating five or more unexcused absences.
• $3,000 was awarded to Girls on the Run Serving the River Region to support the costs of implementing one team serving 16 students at an Elmore County Title I school.
• $3,000 went to Liberty Learning Foundation Inc. to support the costs of providing the civic engagement curriculum, Hands on Liberty and the Libby Liberty Celebration Event for 37 Elmore County Public Schools second-grade classrooms.
• $3,000 was awarded to the Montgomery Education Foundation to support the costs of Starbase 2.0, a 10-week afterschool program focusing on STEM activities for middle school students in Elmore County Public Schools.
Education grants from the Central Alabama Community Foundation totaled $98,142
• $14,500 was awarded to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the River Region to support the costs of educating members on fitness, exercise and safe workouts while engaging them in recreational opportunities by providing funding for two social recreation directors, a lifeguard and pool supplies.
• $5,000 went to Gateway Baptist Church to provide the weekly meal for students and their families participating in the HOPES After School Tutoring Program that serves students referred by Capitol Heights Middle School administrators.
• $15,000 was awarded to Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama to provide membership fees for 333 girls in Lowndes, Macon and Montgomery counties to participate in school-based leadership programming.
• $6,142 went to Girls on the Run of the River Region to provide the direct costs of implementing two teams serving students at Montgomery County Title I schools with a program that includes a curriculum blending physical activity with life skill development and culminates in completing a celebratory 5K run at the end of both seasons.
• $6,000 was awarded to Hope Inspired Ministries to support HIM’s Lowndes County employment training site by providing the gasoline costs for one van route addressing students’ transportation barriers.
• $15,000 went to Ingram State Technical Foundation to provide 40 students with certification testing and 19 graduating students with tools and safety equipment needed to begin work following their release from prison.
• $5,000 was awarded to the Montgomery County Children’s Policy Council to support the costs of providing a book club for 40 third graders at Martin Luther King Elementary School by purchasing books, iPads, supplies and snacks.
• $8,000 went to the Montgomery Education Foundation to support instructor costs for the Starbase Advanced Program, a 10-week afterschool program based in Montgomery County middle schools and focusing on STEM activities such as drones, virtual/augmented reality, coding and robotics.
• $9,500 was awarded to Next Step Up to provide stipends for professors and high school advisors, supplies, and technology costs for the after-school tutorial program at Macon County’s Booker T. Washington High School that involves over 50 Tuskegee University students tutoring and mentoring 50 high school students on a weekly basis.
• $14,000.00 went to That’s My Child to provide scholarships for 40 students to participate in the Teen to Work Program that includes a four-week curriculum teaching soft and hard skills needed to enter the workforce, a five-week training course at That’s My Dog Jr. restaurant and a final phase of connecting students to employers.
Central Alabama Community Foundation Technical Assistance Grants totaled $4,500.
• $2,000 was awarded to Fishers Farm to add a centralized digital communication system to strengthen internal operations.
• $2,500 went to the Sickle Cell Foundation of Greater Montgomery Inc. to support the costs of replacing five computers with ones that can operate Windows 11, as Windows 10 moves to an unsupported software in October 2025.
Autauga Area Community Foundation Education Grants totaled $14,177.
• $3,000 was awarded to the Autauga County Family Support Center to purchase workbooks and other supplies for the Center’s parenting classes and child abuse prevention trainings.
• $3,000 went to Girls on the Run Serving the River Region to support the costs of implementing one team serving 16 students at an Autauga County Title I school.
• $2,177 was awarded to Heritage Training and Career Center to support the costs of providing training programs on workforce readiness, adult literacy and job placement for low-income Autauga County residents.
• $3,000 went to Liberty Learning Foundation Inc. to support the costs of providing the civic engagement curriculum, Hands on Liberty and the Libby Liberty Celebration Event for 28 Autauga County Schools second-grade classrooms.
• $3,000.00 awarded to the Montgomery Education Foundation to support the costs of the Starbase Advanced Program, a 10-week afterschool program focusing on STEM activities, at Prattville Junior High School.
Arts grants from CACF will be announced at a later date.
