BPI Announces $105,000 in Equity in Education Grants

The Black Philanthropy Initiative of Winston-Salem (BPI) recently awarded $105,000 in Advancing Equity in Education Grants to 7 black-led organizations working in Forsyth County.

BPI’s Advancing Equity in Education Grants help to ensure that Black students and graduates can gain access to resources, advance their education, and have the support needed to thrive academically and beyond. BPI prioritizes Black-led organizations, schools with a high population of Black students, and organizations and programs that invest directly in predominately Black schools or neighborhoods. 

Grant recipients include:  

• 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 ‍
• 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 ‍
• 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 ‍
• Winston-Salem Freedom Schools: $15,000 to expand access to Winston-Salem Freedom Schools by 80 middle school scholars

In 2024, BPI awarded a total of $239,650 in grants to local programs and initiatives, with the majority of funds invested in Black-led organizations supporting local Black communities.  These grants are a testament to the power of collective giving, with Forsyth County community members pooling resources to support meaningful change.

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UPCOMING FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FROM BPI 

BPI offers two grant programs in 2025: Advancing Equity in Education Grants and Building an Inclusive Economy Grants. Applications for the Building an Inclusive Economy grant program will open in September 2025.

To learn more about these programs or to find ways to support this important work, visit bpiws.org.

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The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI) is a 100% Black-led initiative of The Winston-Salem Foundation. BPI explicitly—but not exclusively—focuses its grantmaking and programming on addressing needs identified by local Black communities. Since 2007, BPI has provided more than $1.6 million in grant funding to local organizations.