Community Foundation reveals upcoming plans for 2023

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Christmas arrived early for many local non-profits.

The Community Foundation announced its 2023 community grants.

The foundation is funded mostly by Augusta National and the Masters tournament, pouring more than $12 million back into the community throughout the years.

Collectively, the foundation gave out nearly a million dollars to nonprofits in Aiken, Edgefield, Richmond, Columbia, Burke, and McDuffie counties. Giving more than $900,000 in grant funding. The most money in one event since their first donation in 1997.

We got a chance to talk with some of those nonprofits that will be putting those dollars to use.

“Today is a celebration of all the nonprofits who work tirelessly throughout this community to provide services to those who are most vulnerable,” said Foundation President and CEO Shell Berry.

Nonprofits apply for these coveted grants in the summer, and it’s only gotten more competitive over the years.

Jeff Jarrett is the community partnerships director with 143 Ministries. He said, “We’re elated because it’s going to provide something that we really need for our women’s program. That is a gate in front of our women’s intensive property.”

Jarret is an addiction recovery center. He says they most recently purchased a women’s intensive recovery home called Katherine’s Way. With trauma that is associated with recovery, the gate provides something special.

“The gate that keeps them in will allow those internal gates to come down and open up and begin the holistic healing process on the way to sustained sobriety,” he said.

Brown Girls Code received $15,000. The group trains young women of color from ages 7-18 in cybersecurity, robotics, computer science, and more. Founder Ebony Brown says the grant has opened the door to their first summer camp.

“The girls are always asking us at the end of the year, ‘are we going to summer camp,’ and we haven’t been able to do so,” said Brown.

She says grants like this continue to help them make a difference.

“They have so many great ideas that really bring me comfort and knowing that we may actually be able to solve some of those tough problems 20 years from now,” she said.

In addition, more than $200,000 is going to partner agencies of the Literacy Initiative in 2023.

Copyright 2022 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.