Helping Build Stronger Communities

Mission

The Mission Statement of Vulcan Materials Company states that Vulcan “will be a good corporate citizen in each community in which we operate. We will support and take an active part in public and charitable projects.” Vulcan established the Vulcan Materials Company Foundation in 1988 to assist in carrying out that mission. Because contributions made by the Foundation are corporate-based business dollars, it is essential that they be made in a planned and consistent manner that best serves the combined interests of Vulcan and the communities in which we operate.

Vision

Helping Build Stronger Communities

Support Priorities

The Foundation supports many types of worthwhile organizations that enhance the quality of life in Vulcan’s communities. The Vulcan Materials Foundation focuses on three areas in particular:

• Working with schools;
• Supporting environmental stewardship; and
• Encouraging employee involvement.

Education

A major focus of the Foundation is to play a part in maintaining or improving the quality of life and standard of living through the support of education.

Elementary/Secondary Education

The Foundation will consider proposals that provide public education programs and projects that enhance the quality of learning for all students. The Foundation works to support efforts to improve educational systems and individual schools in Vulcan’s communities by partnering with public schools located in its operating areas. Vulcan has adopted 276 schools in its communities through support from the Foundation. It is Vulcan’s goal to increase the number of its school partnerships every year.

The Foundation is also interested in efforts to encourage young people to develop an interest in math, science and business. The Foundation, therefore, gives consideration to proposals designed to help maintain students’ curiosity and excitement about the world of math and science and to explore the world of industry and business. The Foundation is particularly interested in helping young people and their teachers understand the relevance of math and science to society, and supports efforts to link these subjects to their application in the workplace. The Foundation also will consider programs designed to educate our students about the vital role of business and industry in society.

Higher Education

Higher education will play an increasingly critical role in helping the economy effectively compete in the global market. The Foundation recognizes the invaluable contributions made by institutions of higher learning in educating the nation’s future workforce.

The Foundation will consider proposals from those institutions located in states where the Company has facilities, particularly proposals that focus on science and engineering or improving public education. Although proposals for capital improvements will be considered, the Foundation prefers to fund projects that directly affect the outcome of the educational process, such as scholarships and science and technology programs.

Environmental Stewardship

The Foundation supports the philosophy that economic development and environmental stewardship have common goals. Responsible economic growth provides the resources necessary to be a good steward of the environment, while this stewardship helps to sustain growth.

There are important links between industry, the environment and technological innovation. A society that is better informed about environmental issues will be able to participate more effectively in public policy debates. Grantmaking will focus on organizations and programs that seek to develop an understanding of the connection between environmental stewardship and sustainable development. 

The Foundation will consider supporting those environmental organizations that adhere to fact-based, balanced environmental principles.

Employee Involvement

Vulcan has a history of encouraging its employees to participate in volunteer activities in their communities. We recognize that our workforce offers a unique resource to provide leadership in the communities where we operate. Thus, high priority will be given by the Foundation to proposals from those organizations in which company employees are actively involved, especially in our focus areas of education and environmental stewardship.

Geographic Funding Priorities

In addition to the corporate headquarters, located in Birmingham, Alabama, there are eight Construction Materials divisions. Further, Vulcan has 400* active aggregates facilities located in 22 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, and Mexico and the Bahamas. Regarding proposals submitted to the Foundation, first consideration will be given to those organizations that will benefit the communities where Vulcan employees live and work. The Foundation’s giving program is decentralized to spread ownership of the program to a wider base. Because unit managers are directly involved with the communities where they do business, decentralization enables the Foundation to be more informed about, and to better address, local needs. Proposals submitted to the Foundation should be sent directly to the charitable contributions officer in the appropriate geographical area.

* Updated after the acquisition of U.S. Concrete

NOTE: To view the other grant priority areas for the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, please follow these links:

• Health Grants
• Community Needs Grants
• Arts, Culture and Community Asset Grants

Daniel Foundation of Alabama: Education & Youth Grants

Education and Youth

The Daniel Foundation believes that a quality education provides the basis for individual opportunity and economic vitality. We are committed to supporting and improving education and development for youth in grades pre-K-12, especially children in underserved areas or facing economic disadvantages. In addition, we are interested in supporting:

Our priorities:

• Availability of and access to high quality public libraries
• Readily available, quality birth through pre-school opportunities
• Support for bold approaches to Alabama’s public school challenges, and programs working to provide better educational opportunities for K-12 students, including the support of charter schools developing in Alabama.
• Programs that expose and prepare students for higher education and employment opportunities
• Summer learning, with a particular focus on SAIL
• Youth development, including mentoring programs

Higher Education

We believe that the colleges and universities in Alabama are key economic drivers for the communities in which they exist. They offer important resources to us in achieving our philanthropic goals, and we support them in this partnership role. Grants to universities will be primarily focused on these partnerships and primarily initiated by the Foundation.

Colleges and universities in Alabama are key economic drivers for the communities in which they exist and for the state as a whole. They offer important resources to us in achieving our philanthropic goals, and we support them in this partnership role. Grants to universities will be primarily focused on these partnerships.

NOTE:  The application deadline has been  extended to December 1, 2023.

About School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN).

Utilizing a unique framework of funding systems offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, managed care organizations, health insurers, and private donors, SBHSN promotes a system of care model (Coaching Model℠) offering a mix of evidenced-based intervention, prevention, and care coordination services to children in grades K-12. The Coaching Model aims to expand quality mental healthcare access on public school campuses and improve children's social, emotional, behavioral, family, and wellness outcomes.

School-Based Mental Health Implementation Grant

In response to the growing number of students who need mental health counseling, the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is accepting applications from Local Education Agencies (LEA), Public and Private Universities, State and local Colleges, Charter School Management Companies, Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Non-Profit Organizations (501c3) to implement and expand mental health program services on local school campuses. Grantees will receive direct funding and reimbursement to support the following activities: 

• Expanding access to School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Coordinating mental healthcare services with school administration and staff. 
• Delivering mental healthcare services and coordinating academic-support activities to students with a history of attendance, behavior, and poor academic performance.

FUNDING

5-Years, renewable based on meeting performance goals 5-year award ceiling is $5,500,000.

Community Involvement

Donaldson Company and our employees are committed to making a difference and strengthening the communities of which we are a part. We are extremely proud of the generations of employees who have established an expansive history of philanthropy, generously giving their time, energy and aid to various local and regional organizations and projects.

Foundation

The Donaldson Foundation’s mission is to positively impact the communities in which Donaldson Company employees live and work by supporting education. The Donaldson Foundation distributes grants and matching gifts totaling over $1.2 million each year to non-profit organizations.

Grant Criteria

• Educational focus
• Degree of need for those benefited
• Impact
• Sustainability
• Connection to our communities

NOTE: The Letter of Inquiry is the first step of the application process. Select applicants will be invited to submit full proposals.

About Us

Ms. South is a multi-year grantmaking strategy to build power for Women and Girls of Color (WGOC). We amplify the leadership of WGOC and support the sustainability of the ecosystem of organizations.

Ms. South resources and networks organizations that do movement building and organizing work in 14 key states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Ms. South Grant Program

We are excited to embark upon the third year of our multi-year program strategy with the goals of strengthening the organizational and financial sustainability of an ecosystem of WGOC-led organizations; increasing connectivity between WGOC-led organizations; and positioning WGOC leaders as key experts and decision-makers in shaping policy and culture change. We believe that using an intersectional framework will wield the full strength of WGOC’s knowledge, experience, and networks and lead to transformational change.

WGOC are pivotal frontline leaders and organizers in the powerful social change movements that have paved the way for a more equitable and just democracy. They have led nearly every impactful grassroots movement in United States history. They are the primary constituency most impacted by inequity and live at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression including white supremacy, patriarchy, colonization, and unbridled capitalism. And yet, their work is under-resourced.

In this round of grantmaking, we will invest over $1,500,000 in support of WGOC-led groups in the U.S. South across the spectrum of movement building and organizing, building on our investment of over $2.5M to date. (Current Ms. South grantees) Our Ms. South strategy also supports the leadership of Southern WGOC through capacity building, networking, communications to amplify the work of their organizations, and advocacy within the philanthropy community to increase giving to WGOC by a significant margin.

Grants awarded from the Stringfellow Health Fund are designated for healthcare purposes and are restricted to 501(c)(3) qualified public charities operating in the nine-county area which includes: Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Randolph, St. Clair and Talladega counties. Projects must focus on: health, education, prevention & direct services. 

The Foundation welcomes grant applications which focus in the following areas:

• Preventable health issues, risks or diseases;
• Advocacy or education with a focus on health to the community or targeted populations;
• Serving clients with chronic or acute health conditions;
• Strengthening organizational capacity to provide or deliver healthcare services;
• Serving clients with mental or physical disabilities;
• Improvements to community health and well-being. 

About the Fund

Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama grants are made from a number of funds designated for specific purposes stated in their fund Guidelines. The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees is responsible for making the final decision on all grants awarded. The board makes every effort to assess and prioritize the needs of the community. This effort is accomplished through collaboration with the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) which identifies and/or compares 141 quality of life indicators for the region served by the Foundation, county and for individual cities. 

Legends & Lore® Marker Grant Program

Does your community have a great piece of folklore that should be shared? Legends & Lore is designed to promote cultural tourism and commemorate legends and folklore as part of our heritage.

Generally speaking, folklore is the stories, customs, traditions, and expressive arts and crafts that are passed on from one person to another, often from generation to generation. Folklore is the knowledge that people share as members of a group or community. Our shared identities and sense of belonging are the result of shared traditions, stories, customs, and activities.

Legends & Folklore Guidelines

The most successful applications will likely include the following common genres of folklore:

Myths — traditional stories that usually concern the nature of the cosmos; they often involve divine and supernatural beings.

Legends — traditional stories that usually concern historical events; they often involve heroes, heroines, villains, and monsters, including ghosts or haunted places.

Tall tales — traditional stories similar to legends that exaggerate the lives of local people.

Folktales — traditional stories such as fables and fairy tales that occur “outside” of cosmic or human history; they often involve animals or symbolic creatures as the main characters.

Place-name anecdotes — traditional stories that explain the reason for the name of a location.

Folksongs and ballads — traditional stories told in song that often convey myths, legends, and related folklore.

Superstitions — folk beliefs that may or may not have scientific accuracy but that are important to the community that believes in them.

Festivals, holidays, parades, and rituals that represent a community.

Certain dances, music, architecture, foodways, arts, crafts and similar performances can be folklore if they distinguish the community or region as the “home” of the item or activity.

Subjects which are not successful include:

• Historical events lacking a folkloric aspect
• Purely literary creations
• Personal/family folklore which does not extend to the greater community

NOTE: The 'pre proposal' deadline above is the priority deadline. It is not mandatory, but all applicants who submit by this date will receive feedback from the Outschool.org team.

Outschool.org Community Partner Grant Program

Are you an innovative microschool, homeschooling co-op, community-based organization, or K-12 district or charter school looking to provide high-quality, enriching, and learner-led education? 

Outschool.org is looking for at least eight organizations (“community partners”) aiming to close academic achievement and/or enrichment gaps for BIPOC and economically marginalized learners for our third cohort of community partners, sponsored by Walton Family Foundation. We co-design programs with community organizations and offer funding for program support, education design expertise, family navigation tools and programming, training, and access to technology resources. 

What Will Community Partners Receive?

Training & Support Valued at More Than $85,000

Throughout over the course of 1-2 years, Outschool.org will provide all community partners with support in educational programming co-design, marketing, family training and community building, and organizational stability and growth.

One $10,000 Grant to Support Program Implementation

All community partners will receive funding to pay caregivers to navigate educational options, or use towards stipends or salaries required for on-the-ground program support. For partner organizations that do not have direct-to-family public funds, Outschool.org will also provide $500/learner.

Free and Discounted Resources

Community partners will gain access to free and discounted resources, including but not limited to Outschool classes. Other high-quality content providers grantees can access include Reconstruction, CommonLit, Zearn, and Newsela.

NOTE: To view the other grant priority areas for the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, please follow these links:

• Health Grants
• Education & Youth Grants
• Arts, Culture and Community Asset Grants

Community Needs

The Foundation supports programs providing for an individual’s basic needs, such as access to food, clothing and adequate housing. Emphasis is placed on classes and programs which help individuals better navigate and manage their circumstances, leading to enhanced job opportunities and outcomes for an improved life for Alabama’s individuals and families. By connecting with rural communities and non-profit organizations, we desire to support communities and spark revitalization in Alabama’s richly diverse rural areas. All of this work is connected to the availability and development of leaders who have the vision and capacity to address these challenges.

A segment of the population highly valued by the Foundation is Alabama’s estimated 400,000 veterans. Given the sacrifices made by our military personnel, they deserve access to services and opportunities that enable them to lead productive and fulfilling lives.

Our priorities:

• Access to food, clothing and adequate housing
• Programs that offer an effective approach to job training and life skills
• Rural community initiatives
• Projects that meet the needs of Alabama’s veterans
• Leadership programs demonstrating success in developing leaders for the nonprofit, government and business sectors