Bama Rising Fund

What do you do when people are suffering in the state you love? If you are members of the band ALABAMA, you Bama Rising finaleuse your time, talent and contacts across the music industry to organize a benefit concert and you turn to the Community Foundation to help make sure you can make a difference in the lives of people across our state.

The Community Foundation is the philanthropic partner for the Bama Rising Fund, an Advised Fund through which representatives of the band ALABAMA and concert promoters are using concert proceeds to rebuild lives and livelihoods in the wake of April 2011 tornadoes.

The June 14, 2011, concert raised $2.1 million for the Fund through ticket sales and the donation of in-kind services, talent and dollars by promoters, artists and sponsors.

Grants of $250,000 were awarded from the fund in July 2011, $350,000 in September 2011, $240,000 in November 2011, $818,000 in December 2011 and $270,885 in March 2012  for a current total of more than $2 million to repair, rebuild and furnish homes in 25 counties. Details of these grants follow:

  • July, September and November grants:

  • Upper Sand Mountain Parish (for the Jackson/DeKalb Long Term Recovery Committee), $180,000 to help families rebuild their homes and obtain needed furniture and appliances in Jackson and DeKalb counties.
  • United Way of Marshall County (for the Marshall Long Term Recovery Committee), $145,000 to complete rebuilding homes and to provide needed appliances in Marshall County.
  • Mennonite Disaster Service, $50,000 to complete rebuilding homes in Phil Campbell in Franklin County.
  • Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization (HERO), $75,000 to support construction of volunteer-built homes in Hale, Marengo, and Sumter counties.
  • Walker Area Community Foundation, $75,000 to provide materials for volunteer teams roofing homes in Walker County.
  • Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham, $75,000 for home repairs and rebuilding for low-income individuals and families in Jefferson County.
  • Cullman Long-Term Recovery Committee, $100,000 to support rebuilding and repairing homes through a grant to United Way of Cullman County.
  • Community Foundation of West Alabama, $125,000 to support rebuilding, repairing and furnishing homes in the nine counties served by the Long-Term Recovery Committee of West Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Pickens and Sumter counties).
  • United Way of East Alabama, $100,000 to support rebuilding, repairing and furnishing homes with the assistance of volunteer labor. Families were identified with pressing needs, including the elderly, single parents and families with special needs children, as part of a recent community assessment through the Calhoun County Long-Term Recovery Committee.
  • Habit for Humanity of Morgan County, $15,000 to rebuild homes, working with the Morgan County Long-Term Recovery Committee.$225,000 to support repairs, rebuilding, furniture and appliance needs for individuals and families, including many with disabilities, medical problems and the elderly in Marion and Franklin counties through United Way of Northwest Alabama

  • December 2011 grants:

  • $200,000 for repair and rebuilding through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham and the Central Alabama Long-Term Recovery Committee, serving Jefferson and St. Clair counties
  • $145,000 for rebuilding efforts in Jackson and DeKalb counties through the Jackson/DeKalb Long-Term Recovery Committee and Upper Sand Mountain Parish
  • $100,000 to repair, rebuild and furnish homes in Lawrence County through United Way of Lawrence County
  • $50,000 for repair, rebuilding and home furnishings through the Community Foundation of West Alabama and the Long-Term Recovery Committee of West Alabama, to serve individuals and families in Tuscaloosa, Hale, Greene, Sumter, Bibb, Fayette, Marengo, Lamar and Pickens counties
  • $25,000 for repairs and rebuilding homes in Cullman County through United Way of Cullman County
  • $20,000 to repair and rebuild homes in Choctaw County, through the Choctaw County Long-Term Recovery Committee
  • $5,000 for rebuilding efforts through Habitat for Humanity of Morgan County
  • $48,000 toward rebuilding a portion of the Webster’s Chapel Volunteer Fire Department in Calhoun County and adding a 100-person community storm shelter on the VFD property.

April 2012 grants:

  • $25,000 to purchase building materials for volunteer groups building homes for Walker County families, through Walker Area Community Foundation
  • $25,000 to help families in Jackson and DeKalb counties with final repair and appliance purchases to complete their homes, through Upper Sand Mountain Parish
  • $20,885 to help Cherokee County families with needs such as household goods and furnishings, through the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama
  • $100,000 to help Madison County families with construction materials, appliances and furnishing through United Way of Madison County
  • $100,000 to help Limestone County families with repair, rebuilding and relocation costs, through United Way of Athens-Limestone County

Rebuilding in Phil Campbell, Alabama“We are so thankful that the show was a huge success and that we’re going to be able to do positive things to help those that the storm hurt so badly,” said Randy Owen of ALABAMA.  “The response has been incredible, and it’s a real tribute to the people of Alabama to see them helping their fellow Alabamians.”

Donors to the Community Foundation also are supporting long-term recovery needs through the Emergency Response Fund, focusing on the Birmingham region, and the statewide Alabama Tornado Recovery Fund. Donors who wish to give to those Community Funds can do so on-line or by contacting Erin Stephenson.