Central Alabama Community Foundation awards more than $184,000 in grants

The Central Alabama Community Foundation has announced that it has presented $184,652 in grants to local nonprofits to help with food, family and medical needs.

The organizations receiving the grants are working to meet essential needs related to food security, family support and medical care throughout Central Alabama, CACF said.

Here are the recipients:

2025 FAMILY WELLNESS & EDUCATION GRANT CYCLE
FAMILY, FOOD, MEDICAL & FIELD OF INTEREST GRANT RECIPIENTS

Central Alabama Community Foundation ($100,657.00)

Family Grants ($32,719.00)

• $6,000.00 to CASA of the River Region – to support CASA’s recruitment and training of volunteers to pair as advocates with children referred by the Montgomery County Family Court
• $7,922.00 to Legal Services Alabama – to support the costs for a staff attorney to provide eviction defense for clients without representation and who meet an income threshold
• $10,397.00 to Mental Health America, Montgomery – to support the salary costs of the program and transportation assistants who work with participants in the Psychosocial Clubhouse programming, which provides clients with serious mental health diagnoses with a support system and social opportunities
• $8,400.00 to Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of Alabama, Inc. – to provide emergency funding assistance (for rent, mortgage, utilities, or transportation costs) for 14 Montgomery families participating in the Intensive In-Home Services Program, which seeks to stabilize families in crisis and prevent youth entering foster care

Food Grants ($32,719.00)

• $7,560.00 to American Legion Charles L. Martin Post 1948 – to provide food for homeless veterans residing at PEERS Caring Home
• $6,582.00 to Fishers Farm – to purchase a commercial refrigerator and freezer to better store fresh food to serve to clients seeking to overcome addiction and/or homelessness through participation in the 12-month residential program
• $11,268.00 to Meals on Wheels Montgomery AL Metro Area – to provide the meal costs for 242 serving days for six senior citizens participating in the Northern Route Meals on Wheels
• $7,309.00 to Mercy House – to purchase food and meal preparation supplies for the Manna House Prepared Food Commissary where a commercial kitchen will produce 1,000 meals daily for Montgomery County residents in need

Medical Grants ($32,719.00)

• $6,600.00 to Child Protect – to support the costs of counseling services for child abuse victims in Montgomery County
• $6,000.00 to Friendship Mission – to purchase two automated external defibrillators and support training costs to prepare staff in their use
• $6,758.00 to Medical Outreach Ministries – to support the costs of providing free medications for uninsured, low-income adult clients in Lowndes and Montgomery counties
• $13,361.00 to the Shorter Fire Auxiliary – to purchase a special operations enclosed trailer for the Shorter Volunteer Fire Department to use as a mobile operations and medical supply unit for quick mobilization with pre-stocked medical supplies in disaster relief efforts in Shorter and surrounding communities

Technical Assistance Grants ($2,500.00)

• $2,500.00 to Shorter Fire Auxiliary – to purchase high-quality CPR equipment to use in training firefighters, dispatchers, and police officers pursuing Basic Life Support certification and renewal course (to include adult and infant training manikins with LED feedback, AED simulators, and American Heart Association training videos)

Autauga Area Community Foundation ($14,700.00)

Family Wellness Grants ($8,700.00)

• $3,000.00 to Autauga Interfaith Care Center – to purchase clothing to stock the Center’s Clothes Closet with items for school-age children
• $3,000.00 to Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center – to provide for two Autauga County children to receive forensic interviews, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and caregiver support sessions
• $2,700.00 to Family Sunshine Center – to support the delivery of evidence-based counseling services for Autauga County children experiencing trauma from abuse, sexual assault, or witnessing domestic violence

Food Grant ($3,000.00)

• $3,000.00 to Heart of Alabama Food Bank – to purchase food items for the Food as Medicine program, which prepares and delivers 20 pounds of food prescribed by doctors twice monthly to food-insecure patients’ homes in Autauga County

Medical Grant ($3,000.00)

• $3,000.00 to Medical Outreach Ministries – to support the costs of providing free medical care and medications for uninsured, low-income adults in Autauga County

Elmore County Community Foundation (14,660.00)

Family Wellness Grants ($4,500.00)

• $3,000.00 to Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center – to provide for two Elmore County children to receive forensic interviews, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and caregiver support sessions
• $1,500.00 to CASA of the River Region – to support the training costs of volunteers to pair as advocates with children referred by the Elmore County Family Court

Food Grants ($4,500.00)

• $3,000.00 to Church of the Epiphany – to purchase food for the Beans & Rice Ministry, which provides nutritious food packages to Elmore County families in need monthly
• $1,500.00 to Heart of Alabama Food Bank – to purchase food items for the Food as Medicine program, which prepares and delivers 20 pounds of food prescribed by doctors twice monthly to food-insecure patients’ homes in Elmore County

Medical Grants ($4,500.00)

• $3,000.00 to First Choice Women’s Medical Center – to support the costs of providing access to quality medical care and support services to pregnant women at the Center’s facility in Elmore County
• $1,500.00 to Medical Outreach Ministries – to support the costs of providing free medical care and medications for uninsured, low-income adults in Elmore County

Technical Assistance Grant ($1,160.00)

• $1,160.00 to First Choice Women’s Medical Center – to purchase a laptop computer and provide for its network connection to replace an outdated computer at the Center’s facility in Elmore County

Field of Interest Grants ($54,635.00)

CACF Group Homes for Children Grant ($7,735.00)

• $7,735.00 to Easter Seals Central Alabama – to support the salary of a PATH-certified instructor in the hippotherapy program serving clients ages four-to-fourteen years with autism or developmental delays

ECCF Margaret & Auston Bridges Fund for Arts Education Grant ($600.00)

• $600.00 to Holtville High School – to purchase 15 sewing machines, patterns, bulk fabric, and storage shelving for the Visual Arts Program’s projects that involve sewing

CACF Mental Health Grant ($1,300.00)

• $1,300.00 to Mental Health America, Montgomery – to support gasoline and oil costs for van transportation of participants in the Psychosocial Clubhouse, which provides clients with a serious mental health diagnosis with a support system and social opportunities

CACF Merle S. and Mack C. Hunt Diabetes Grants ($35,000.00)

• $20,000.00 to Medical Outreach Ministries – to support the costs of the free one-on-one Diabetes Self Management Education Program, including providing medications and diabetes testing supplies for all participants
• $15,000.00 to The Wellness Coalition – to support the costs of group educational sessions and case management services to improve self-management of diabetes among people in the River Region who have diabetes and little or no health insurance

CACF Give Smart Montgomery Grants ($10,000.00)

• $5,000.00 to Quiet Storm Outreach Group – to support the costs of providing panhandlers with temporary housing solutions and items to meet basic needs
• $5,000.00 to Masterpiece, Inc. – to support the costs of outreach and assistance to panhandlers to obtain essential photo identification

Total Amount Awarded: $184,652.00

For more than 37 years, the Central Alabama Community Foundation has been a valued community partner and resource for nonprofits and students across the River Region, the Wiregrass and East Alabama. Through individual and corporate donors, the foundation awards more than $6 million annually in grants and scholarships to address diverse community needs. These funds support programs and projects in education, human services, health, cultural arts and other civic concerns.

— Information from the Central Alabama Community Foundation