Blue Mountain Community Foundation recently awarded grants from the First Fruits Fund, a component fund of BMCF. As promised, we are announcing grant awards over the next few weeks.

The Eleventh grantee is…

Commitment to Community, $30,000

Commitment to Community, a grassroots movement, commonly known as C2C, serves four Walla Walla neighborhoods, namely Blue Ridge, Edith Carrie, Jefferson Park and Washington Park.  The residents of these neighborhoods are predominantly low-income and roughly 60% of the residents are white and 40% are Latino.

The goal of C2C is to develop a sense of ownership among neighbors through ongoing relationship building and project activity, based on the neighbors’ priorities and initiatives.  C2C also seeks to build relationships with new and existing major stakeholders, including funders and service providers.

The neighborhoods recently identified goals specific to their area.  Examples are a Spring graffiti clean-up and Summer trash clean-up in the Blue Ridge area, organizing the fourth season of the community garden in the Edith Carrie neighborhood, Spring clean-up, Summer BBQ and December Tree Lighting at Jefferson Park and the 6^th Dia de los Ninos (Children’s Day) held in Washington Park.

Funds from this grant will provide ongoing program support for C2C.

The First Fruits Fund

The First Fruits Fund was established in 2008 with a generous grant from the Vista Hermosa Foundation.  Since that time, the Fund has made 66 grants exceeding $550,000.

The stated goal of the First Fruits Fund is to “encourage collaborative and innovative approaches to building self-sufficiency for the most under-served in our communities, including improved access to such basic needs as housing, food, education and livable wages.”  Founders believe that the most impactful way to achieve that goal is to support community-based initiatives that empower people themselves to identify their needs and collectively own the process of change.