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Learn more about the 2022 recipients and their theory of change

Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge will host Artsplosion! camps to offer unique arts and culture experiences. Campers have the opportunity to explore the creative process through movement, music, drama, literary, and visual arts, facilitated by professional teaching artists in the community.

A Bella LaFemme Society is dedicated to providing collegiate minority women with scholarships to promote mental wellness. We are structured to empower, advocate, alleviate hardships, reduce traumas through building resourceful sisterhoods within our communities. The funding will be used to provide participants with merchandise and booklets with program materials.

America My Oyster Association is launching its two-part film series project "Making a Stand to Understand Our America" and expanding its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion interactive workshop sessions through its program "Building A Better America Today" to increase college readiness and multi-cultural awareness among middle school and high school students.

Baton Rouge Youth Coalition plans to expand its persistence team to keep up with alumni population growth. BRYC is committed to preparing High School Fellows to maximize the economic value of their college degrees and supports College Fellows therein, then College Fellows will graduate from college prepared to secure and excel in career track jobs, build wealth, and interrupt generational poverty cycles.

Dyslexia Resource Center will expand the accessibility and applicability of the teacher training program through its partnership with New Schools for Baton Rouge including but not limited to: materials, software, and costs of the initial delivery and feedback cycle for improvement. This expansion will begin to address the challenges and highlight opportunities for students and families with dyslexia.

Girls on the Run South Louisiana will host the out-of-school program to impact 30 girls in grades 3-8 in spring 2022. The students will participate in research-based lessons led by trained facilitators and will have the opportunity to: improve physical activity levels; learn healthy living behaviors; develop and improve competence;; develop strength of character; respond to others and oneself with care; create positive connections with peers and adults; and make a meaningful contribution to community through participating in their team impact project

Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge (YEABR) transforms high school students into confident entrepreneurs. Throughout the academic year, select students in grades 8-12 from the nine parish Baton Rouge Area meet weekly at LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business. They are taught a national entrepreneurship curriculum by LSU instructors, area entrepreneurs and business leaders. The students generate business ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, and file their businesses with Louisiana's Secretary of State's office and pitch investors for seed funding.

I AM, Empowering the Next Generation, Inc. will create a more supportive and develop a systemic SEL framework and culture within each school where the I AM program is implemented. The I AM Team is committed to developing the curricula to individualize its approach based on the diverse needs of the student population at each school. Expanding their program will yield the next generation of healthy, whole-hearted adults.

Line4Line helps local youth have access to books, reading, and relatable mentors by offering free haircuts at a local barbershop. It has since expanded to include a basketball and bowling teams. It includes a year-round reading program, a free library, a book club and weekend activities supported by a variety of volunteers. Line4Line plans to expand its program to positively affect students by providing them with free quality programs during out of school time, providing youth with opportunities to develop talents while participating in exercise, providing youth with new skills, create opportunities for youth to feel supported, and to connect and expand youth with new school age peers outside existing "friend/social groups."

‍New Beginners Inc will host a Summer Accelerate Program to offer students an opportunity to build their Reading, Math, and Social competence.

Power Pump Girls, Inc.’s PADs program will increase awareness, advocacy, and understanding surrounding menstrual health and women’s healthy equity.

The BRidge Agency, INC. works to alleviate social drivers of crime within criminality hot spots and debilitated neighborhoods through a variety of collaborative efforts and partnerships that revitalize neighborhoods while empowering families to recognize social determinants of health.

The Center for Literacy and Learning program, Louisiana Reads! tackles the literacy crisis through quality content delivery to caretakers of children, promotion of active parent engagement, and book distribution. Through community partnerships, 450 under-resourced families in East Baton Rouge will receive culturally relevant books featuring positively-reflected Black and brown characters to build their own home libraries. Through this project, we have the goal of merging classroom instruction and practice with at-home learning guidance through reading.

The Maxine Firm’s Decide to Succeed Wellness & Tennis Camp program is a 6 week intensive program for students, 13-18 years of age, living and learning in disinvested communities in East Baton Rouge Parish. Using the Decide to Succeed curriculum, and guest speakers they can identify with, students will learn about balanced nutrition, mental health, urban agriculture, chronic disease prevention, career opportunities in healthcare, all while increasing their physical activity learning the game of tennis.

The Walls Project’s Futures Fund Mentorship/Work-Study program allows participants opportunities to develop soft and practical skills that will prepare them to enter the workforce ready to excel with both professional and technical skills. Funding is intended to support personnel costs, consultants, supplies & orientation/capstone, culture club, mentorship stipends, and back office operation.

The Young Men's Christian Association of the Capital Area (YMCA) offers a positive environment for children that enhances academic performance, supports social, emotional and physical development and strengthens positive peer relationships in an out-of-school time setting.

Vital Resource Solutions, Inc.’s Youth Coping Skills Program seeks to strengthen social and emotional competencies to support student mental health and well-being. Our students learn techniques and exercises that they can perform to ensure positive and responsible behavior at all times.