the vision | funding the vision

The Fund for Southern Communities works with donors and organizations to provide financial resources to move people from thought to action. The following are some of the visions that became reality thanks to those who supported the FSC.

• In Georgia, a group of 9 to 19 year olds uses dance, music, and theatre to educate their peers about drugs, AIDS, gang violence, and date rape.

• In Durham, NC, a new organization formed to provide an effective network among lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender groups in the Triangle area.

• In South Carolina, an African-American led group organizes and empowers low income groups in rural areas to battle against environmental threats to their communities.

FSC depends on direct contributions from individuals committed to making a meaningful difference in the world through social change.

FSC awards roughly 40-60 grants, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 each year. In addition to financial support, FSC provides its grantees assistance in other fundraising and organizational development issues. back to top

The FSC is well prepared to partner with donors to invest contributions in our General Fund, which supports organizations that are:

• fighting discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic background, or physical and mental disabilities;
• struggling for the rights of workers;
• promoting self-determination in low-income and disenfranchised communities;
• protecting the environment;
• promoting and/or creating non-traditional arts and media;
• promoting peace.

All of our grantees become members of FSC, who bring leadership, direction, and "community insight" to our projects.

In addition to the General Fund, six special funds help expand our General Fund grantmaking by allowing donors to designate contributions to a specific area of interest.

Organizational Development Fund: This fund offers grantees funding for organizational training, leadership development, long-range planning, or networking opportunities.

The Southern Outlook Fund: This fund
supports organizations working for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender rights, and against homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The Grassroots Fund: This fund ensures a strong, continuing base of financial support to seed innovative organizing work in the in the eleven county region of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Triangle in North Carolina. www.grassrootsfundnc.org

The Modjeska Simkins Memorial Fund: This fund, created to honor life-long South Carolina civil rights activist Modjeska Simkins, makes grants to organizations in South Carolina working on issues related to youth, racial justice and civil rights.

Racial Justice Fund: Providing support to communities and organizations dealing with issues of racial discrimination.

Emergency Fund: This fund makes available small grants for situations consistent with FSC grantmaking priorities that are extremely timely, could not have been planned for by the recipient, and cannot fit into the regular grant cycle.

back to top