The Future Forward Relief Fund, a Black-owned philanthropic financial institution, is launching their third grant cycle to support small and Black-owned businesses around Birmingham. Local creatives, nonprofits and entrepreneurs keep reading to find out how you can apply.

What is the Future Forward Relief Fund?

mural future relief fund — Created to inspire. (Pat Byington / Bham Now)

Have you heard of the Future Forward Relief Fund? This philanthropic organization is a program of the Penny Foundation, which aims to lessen economic inequality in the Black community by funding entrepreneurship. The Future Forward Relief Fund aims to fund opportunities for local Black-owned businesses in Birmingham.

The third launch of this fund is also brought to you by these local organizations:

How you can apply

downtown Birmingham — Downtown Birmingham is home to so many businesses. (Jacob Blankenship / Bham Now)

If you are a biz owner with a dedicated checking account specifically for your business, you’re eligible for this fund. Applications are open from January 17–February 4.

Businesses are awarded in three categories separated by what stage they’re in:

the concept stage, <1 year
the starter, 1-5 years
the established, five+ years

Share your story via written or video submissions to the Penny Foundation on January 17.

We can all agree that one of the things we love about Bham is small businesses. Look through our directory of small businesses you should support.

The Perks

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A post shared by The Penny Foundation Inc. (@thepennyfoundation)

Why apply for this grant? It will help you generate additional revenue, provide assistance in business model pivots + so much more. They’re not rewarding a single organization but offering multiple grants to different Birmingham businesses. Check out the funds that will be rewarded: