THANK YOU to all who supported BPI for our 13th annual fundraising event - Advancing Bold, Black-led Community Change. On October 13, nearly 130 BPI supporters and partners joined us at the Milton Rhodes Center to celebrate BPI's tremendous growth and community impact in recent years and to hear a special announcement!

The event was catered by LeanBack Soul Food, and MonaLisa Musiq's 4-piece band set a soulful tone for the evening with live jazz music as new and long-time friends of BPI engaged in fun and fellowship. We are still energized and inspired by the outpouring of love and support we received that evening. Thank you to Fete by Design for decorating the space so beautifully and Kiara Harris Photography for capturing the beauty of the evening on camera.

BPI leadership kicked off the program by celebrating our incredible growth since the start of our grant program in 2007. Our annual grantmaking has quadrupled from an average of $25,000 in 2019 to $220,000 in 2021 alone! This trajectory is all thanks to the tremendous support of our individual, foundation, and corporate donors, and the strategic community engagement efforts of BPI volunteers.

We’re proud to say that 93% of our grant funds were invested in Black-led organizations. Still, the need remains great, especially among Black-led nonprofits that have been systemically under-resourced.

As such, BPI announced the launch of a transformative three-year, $2 million dollar campaign to ensure resources are available to invest at least $250,000 annually in Black-led nonprofits for the next three years. While the vast majority will support our annual grantmaking programs, a portion of campaign dollars will also grow BPI's endowment to ensure we have grantmaking dollars to invest, now and forever.

Guests also previewed BPI's new video produced in partnership with Dancing Grass Studios, illustrating what BPI's work is making possible. As we build this movement and drive change at a historical time, we need your support to increase our investments in Black students, organizations, and families in Forsyth County.

Watch the video below to learn more about our work, and continue reading to learn how you can join the campaign to strengthen our future.

As the only local funding initiative that is 100% Black-led and explicitly focused on strengthening Black communities, BPI is uniquely positioned to address the most pressing issues that Black residents face because of deliberate and systematic underinvestment.

BPI offers a powerful way to give back and pay it forward. Through collective giving, grantmaking, and community engagement, BPI ensures local organizations have what they need to advance racial equity and respond to community needs, particularly those in our local Black communities.

The Winston-Salem Foundation believes that investing in community-led solutions creates lasting change and made a significant initial investment of $500,000 to BPI’s campaign. We need your help to expand our impact and grow an even larger base of supporters to advance BPI’s work.