Dream Keeper Initiative Black/African American Cultural Preservation Mini-Grants Program
Program Overview
In 2020, the advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic resulted in a complete temporary halt of community events and outings. This closure caused a severe impact on individuals employed in the event-planning industries, with particularly dire consequences for Black community members already grappling with economic challenges prior to the shutdowns.
In the year 2022, through funding provided by the City's Dream Keeper Initiative, and in collaboration with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and Human Rights Commission, En2action developed the Black Cultural Preservation Mini-Grants Program. This program aims to safeguard Black culture and communities while revitalizing the local economy through the production of events and functions across five key neighborhoods in San Francisco.
Check Out Some Photos of Our Grantee’s Events!
The Black Cultural Preservation Mini-Grants Program serves as a vital resource to promote equity within San Francisco. Recognizing the historical and ongoing marginalization faced by the Black community, this initiative strives to empower and uplift and promote Black culture.
Through the Black Cultural Preservation Mini-Grants Program, local organizations, and individuals are given opportunities to preserve and celebrate Black history, heritage, and artistic expression.
By supporting a diverse range of events such as community festivals, art exhibitions, educational programs, and entrepreneurial ventures, the Program contributes to building a sense of pride, unity, and economic stability within the Black community. The event must take place in one of the five key neighborhoods of San Francisco: Lakeview, Oceanview-Merced Heights-Ingleside, Sunnydale, Tenderloin, Visitacion Valley
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Overall, we saw women
stepping up in the number of applications and acceptance into the program. Overall, we saw 28 women-led events versus 16 men-led events.
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The Essence of Black Cultural Preservation: The largest number of events were identified by their organizing grantees as "Black Empowerment"
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An Equitable Distribution: We worked to encourage events and proposals from grantees towards an equal distribution of events per neighborhood.
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The Program played a vital role in guaranteeing the success of events. Additionally, all of the grantees expressed their willingness to organize the event again.
Impact Reporting
As a testament to the city's commitment to diversity and cultural preservation, the Black Cultural Preservation Mini-Grants Program exemplifies collaboration, community engagement, and social progress.
Moreover, the Black Cultural Preservation Mini-Grants Program addresses the immediate challenges brought forth by the pandemic and lays the foundation for long-term resilience and sustainability. By investing in the preservation and promotion of Black culture through community-based organizations, and individuals who want to represent their neighborhood, the program contributes to the enrichment of the City, promoting cross-cultural understanding, and promoting a more inclusive and vibrant city for all residents and visitors alike.
More Information
For more on how to apply, or how to nominate a neighborhood champion for the Review & Selection Committee or general information on the Black Cultural Preservation Mini-Grant Program, please view our Applications tab, sign up for our newsletter, or contact us at minigrants@en2action.org.
Thank you to our partners!
The Black Cultural Preservation Mini-Grants Program is a community partnership program made possible through the fiscal support of the Dream Keeper Initiative, the Human Rights Commission, and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.