Mayor Bowser Announces FY2021 African American Community Grant Awards

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs (MOAAA) awarded grant funding to eight community-based organizations providing direct services to Washington, DC’s African American community. The grants are intended to provide direct services to the District’s African American community in education, jobs and economic development, public safety, civic engagement, health and wellness, youth engagement, and arts and creative economy.

The Fiscal Year 2021 MOAAA Community Grant awardees are:

• Arts for Our Children, Inc. will provide youth ages 8–14 years old lessons in dance, exercise, yoga, and healthy living to enhance their self-esteem and broaden their appreciation of the arts through their Cultural Arts & Enrichment Program.
• BUILD Metro DC will provide high school students with college and career readiness skills, and the opportunity to launch and operate their own business through their Youth Entrepreneur Program.
• College Bound, Inc. will provide middle school and high school students with support through their Academic Mentoring Program. The Academic Mentoring Program will provide college readiness support focused on: early college and career exposure, academic enrichment with a focus on STEM, financial literacy and scholarship opportunities, and individualized support throughout the college application and selection process.
• The Community Enrichment Project will provide students ages 14-18 in Wards 7 and 8 with academic mentorship, civic engagement and leadership training through their Civic Leadership Ambassador Program.
• DC Greens, Inc. will provide food access, food security programs, and enrichment opportunities to students from Ward 8 public and charter schools through The Well at Oxon Run program.
• The Nicholson Project will provide residents in Wards 7 and 8 with storytelling and innovative community engagement and intergenerational activities through their 1000 Words Project.
• Recreation Wish List Committee will provide youth in Wards 7 and 8 with programs focused on education, physical fitness, and nutrition through the Recreation Wish List Committee / Southeast Tennis and Learning Center Virtual Afterschool Program.
• U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce will provide African American owned businesses with resources, technical assistance, and the opportunity to network with other businesses through their Ensuring Small Business's in DC Survive program.

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 African American community.