Source: Shannon Finney / Getty
This week (March 20), Quavo and his foundation, The Rocket Foundation, announced the “SPARK Grants” program ahead of National Gun Violence Awareness Month in June. This launch aims to further the efforts of the foundation to uplift initiatives from organizations working to prevent and reduce community violence in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.
This news comes after Quavo and his family’s notable involvement in the Congressional Black Caucus last September in Washington DC, closed-door meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and the subsequent launch of the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention that followed the next day. This serves as the next critical move for The Rocket Foundation, continuing its dedication to prevent and reduce gun violence in communities across the country. The foundation focuses on investing in high-impact organizations and on helping build an ecosystem of gun violence prevention and reduction initiatives in Atlanta that can be replicated across the country.
“I am honored to launch this grant program to honor Take and the countless families that have been affected by gun violence,” said Quavo. “The Rocket Foundation will be giving out $100K in SPARK grants to local orgs dedicated to reducing community violence in Atlanta. There is a lot of important work going on in ATL right now, and part of our mission is to uplift these organizations and support them to help save more lives.“
As an organization, the mission of The Rocket Foundation is to lead, unite, and uplift initiatives that reduce violence and allow communities to prosper, which the 2024 SPARK Grants plan to achieve. This new program will provide micro-grants to evidence-based community violence intervention and prevention nonprofits to help pilot or sustain their critical life-saving work in Atlanta and its neighboring communities. To apply, organizations must be a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) or be fiscally sponsored by one, submitting for an existing or piloting initiative impacting the Atlanta metropolitan region, and must complete the grant application in full by the deadline. Also, it’s preferred that the organization is headquartered or based in Atlanta and there is proof of evidence-based initiative.
Grant applications opened on Wednesday, March 20th and 10 winners will be selected to receive an award of $10,000 each, totaling a $100K all in donation, and embarking on a partnership with The Rocket Foundation. Following April 21st, The Foundation will evaluate all submissions and select 9 organizations to receive the “SPARK Grants” with the 10th winner of the round voted by the general public via The Rocket Foundation’s website. To close out the program in honor and celebration of Takeoff, all 10 SPARK grant winners will be announced on his birthday June 18th.
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
Grant Timeline Dates:
March 20th – Grant applications open
April 21st – Applications due
April 21st – May 10th: Submission evaluation
May 13th – May 19th: Public Choice grant award voting open (only selected nonprofits will be listed for public voting)
June 18th – Grant winners announced
***Click to apply for a SPARK Grant HERE https://www.rocket-foundation.org/programs
