Sankofa Fund To Award Grants To Boost Local African American Voter Turnout

  • Monday, January 29, 2018
Members of the Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement
Members of the Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement

The members of the Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement, an African American Giving Circle, are partnering with the Proud Voter Campaign to "empower and encourage more African Americans in Chattanooga to register to vote, help fellow citizens restore their voting rights, and get significant numbers of people to the polls on election day." The Sankofa Fund is awarding a $500 grant to the organization or group proposes the best project to get local African Americans to the polls. 

The Proud Voter Campaign is a nonpartisan statewide initiative that seeks to increase voter registration and turnout among underrepresented demographics in Tennessee. They partner with organizations to pursue the nearly 750,000 unregistered minority, single women, and under 30 year olds who are not voting. For more information about the Proud Voter Campaign, visit www.proudvoter.org

The Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement will award $500 to fund the best project to get local African Americans to the polls. To apply, please visit www.sankofacha.com and click on “Apply for Voter Challenge.” The deadline to apply is Feb. 16. 

The Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement is a membership organization committed to funding and supporting organizations, projects and efforts which improve Chattanooga's communities of color. Sankofa literally means to go back and get what was taken. After the term made its way to the United States, African-American scholars coined the term to mean remembering the past, to protect the future. 

The fund is housed at the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. Members commit to making an annual gift to the fund, using their social networks to empower local African America communities, and collectively making funding decisions. 

To apply for funding from the Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement or to make a contribution, visit www.sankofacha.com.


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