Mayor Bowser Announces FY2020 African American Community Grant Awards

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser and the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs awarded a combined $67,000 in grant funding to eight community-based organizations providing direct services to Washington, DC’s African American community. The grants are intended to provide residents certifications for careers in high demand, homeownership resources, youth development & mentorship, technical assistance for entrepreneurs, and cultural preservation.

“As a city that values and embraces our diversity, we are proud to partner with these community-based organizations that are advancing DC values and helping us build a safer, stronger, and more inclusive Washington, DC,” said Mayor Bowser.

The Fiscal Year 2020 MOAAA Community Grant awardees are:

• Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School will provide training to residents through the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Training Program in the new Healthcare Academy to prepare residents for employment and careers in a high-demand job field.


• Byte Back will have a free Tech Training and Career Support program for African American residents in the District. Residents will receive job readiness and career support, designed to help them advance in their education, obtain industry-recognized certifications, and begin living-wage careers.


• Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center dba Central Community Development Corporation will provide artistic resources, art exhibitions, the after school arts program, cultural activities, cultural identity, heritage of Art All Night, Congress Heights Day, and holistic activities.


• DC Central Kitchen will provide training to residents through the Culinary Job Training Program. This is a four month program that will allow residents to be prepared for the ServSafe food safety manager’s license exam and the ManageFirst exam


• DC Strings Workshop, Inc. will provide music programming to students through the DC Strings Concert Series & East of the River School Initiative. DC Strings Workshop has partnered with Hart Middle School and the DC Dream Center to provide a program that consists of four hours of after school music instruction, school-wide classical music assemblies, and community concerts.


• GOODProjects will provide students mentorship and youth development through the GOODAfterSchool Program. This afterschool academic mentoring program will provide students with a safe space after school, providing food, homework tutoring, socio-emotional support, restorative justice circles, physical activity, financial literacy, a speaker’s series, multiple workshops, and weekend field trips.


• Life Asset will serve more than 375 low-income African American entrepreneurs across the District. Life Asset will provide pre-loan training, small business loans, post-loan training, networking opportunities and business incubator space.


• Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, Inc. has a 10 week Homebuyer’s Club Program that will provide first-time homebuyers with a step-by-step guide to successfully purchasing a home. The program equips prospective homebuyers with information, counseling, workshops, and group sessions necessary to transform their quality of life through homeownership.

The grant funding is aligned with the Bowser Administration’s priorities and is intended to enhance existing community programs focused on the arts & creative economy, civic engagement, education, health & wellness, youth engagement, workforce development, public safety, and homeownership. Organizations were selected based on the degree to which they advance the mission of the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs and support the needs of the economically disadvantaged African American communities.

These programs will provide African Americans a fair shot and upward mobility in obtaining training, certifications, and preserving the history and culture of DC. Current projects include: cultural preservation, expanding the capacity of DC based small businesses, providing cultural training to youth in Wards 7 and 8, mentorship and youth development programming in the Greenleaf community, connecting residents to homeownership resources, and workforce development in tech, healthcare, and hospitality.