(YORK, PA, February 19, 2025) – The Racial Equity Fund (REF) of the York County Community Foundation (YCCF) recently awarded over $25,000 in grants to four local nonprofits. The REF Committee is comprised of community leaders who select programs that address issues of racism and inequity.
The Racial Equity Fund offers grants of up to $15,000 each for projects that seek to reduce equity gaps for communities of color in the following areas:
- Community leadership and development
- Criminal justice system
- Education and job readiness
- Health and wellness
- Income and wealth creation
- Racial and cultural education
The Latest Grants from YCCF’s Racial Equity Grant Fund Program Include:
- $10,000 to York Literacy Institute, for its English as a Second Language Program to help improve functional literacy skills of more than nine hundred non-English or limited-English speakers. The benefits of this program include improving the family dynamic of students who can become more involved in K-12 activities, medical decision-making, and financial independence; producing a literate and capable workforce, ultimately boosting the economy; and reducing crime.
- $8,200 to York County Children’s Advocacy Center, for its Child and Family Translation and Interpreter Services. Through this grant, two hundred caregivers can provide forensic interviews, victim advocacy, and forensic medical exams to non-English speaking children who are alleged victims of child abuse.
- $5,450 to PennCares Support Services, for its Racial and Cultural Educational Training Series to provide three racial and cultural educational trainings on racial and cultural inequities in York County. Topics include:
- 1.) Understanding Implicit Bias
- 2.) Bias Awareness Language: How to Use and Promote Inclusive Communication, and
- 3.) Addressing Health Inequities in Communities of Color.
- $1,485 to Appell Center for the Performing Arts, for its Hispanic American Month Film Series Events that showcased movie selections by three members of the Hispanic and/or Latino community who offered their perspectives for this film series and joined us to celebrate the month as a community.
Michele Mummert, Vice President of Grants and Community Engagement at YCCF said, “York County Community Foundation’s Racial Equity Fund is designed to support projects uniquely positioned to address equity gaps for communities of color. These latest grant awards promise to make a difference for the BIPOC community. We believe these efforts are imperative to creating a vibrant York County where everyone can thrive.”
For more information on the Racial Equity Fund grant program please visit: https://yccf.org/racial-equity-fund/
