The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta have announced the recipients of the Vote Your Voice Field Strengthening Grants. The initiative, which began in 2020 as a $30 million project, has now expanded into a decade-long commitment with a total funding of $100 million. The program aims to ensure full voter participation and fair representation for Black communities and other communities of color across the Deep South.
Grants are awarded based on each applicant's organizational capacity, demonstrated outcomes, proposed scope of work, and budget. The typical grant ranges from $50,000 to $500,000 and lasts between one to three years depending on the organization's request.
In this funding cycle, Vote Your Voice focused on engaging young adults of color in five key states as well as voters of color in non-metro areas. Among the grantees for 2023 are Florida Student Power Alliance, Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, and Poder Latinx.
Leah Qusba, executive director of Action for the Climate Emergency said: “We are deeply grateful to the Southern Poverty Law Center for the generous support to scale our nonpartisan civic engagement program across Georgia and Louisiana.”
Ashley Shelton from The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice remarked: “We are so excited about this powerful investment which will allow us to continue to build power and a bench of leaders to sustain that power.”
Ayana Gabriel from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta emphasized: “Full voter representation means just that—widening the net so that everyone...is brought into the democratic process.”
Margaret Huang from SPLC stated: “Voting is foundational to our democracy – and that foundation is under attack across the Deep South.”
A detailed list of 2023 grantees includes organizations such as Alabama A&M University Foundation, Florida For All, Georgia Justice Project, Urban League of Louisiana among others. More information about these grants can be found at www.splcenter.org/vote-your-voice.
The SPLC works towards racial justice by dismantling white supremacy and advancing human rights while partnering with communities. More details can be accessed at www.splcenter.org.
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta focuses on equity and shared prosperity through its strategic approach called TogetherATL. It manages around $1.4 billion in assets through over 1,000 donor funds while raising more than $120 million annually. Further information is available at cfgreateratlanta.org.