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In a busy year marked with milestone achievements, nonprofit For Oak Cliff has received additional funding for its community efforts.
Expensify.org, a global charity founded by preaccounting platform Expensify, announced Wednesday that For Oak Cliff is one of 10 organizations receiving a $25,000 grant. For Oak Cliff was recognized for its effort in food security.
The Community Justice Grant Challenge recognizes 10 grassroots organizations dedicated to fighting injustices in its communities around the world. The other nine winners are based in Atlanta; New York; Milan, Italy; Berlin, Germany; and elsewhere.
The initiative is part of Expensify’s $3 million commitment to combat systemic inequity, which was launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s protests about the death of Houston native George Floyd. The winners will also be eligible for additional funding support of up to $100,000.
After receiving more than 1,000 applications this year, For Oak Cliff was selected among 60 semifinalists. In July, 10,000 people voted for their favorite campaign to select 10 finalists to receive the grant.
“We are thankful to everyone who voted For Oak Cliff,” Julianna Bradley, For Oak Cliff’s Director of Food Justice, said in a statement. “We are especially grateful for the thousands of volunteers who have supported our efforts. In 2020, we were able to give away just over 1 million pounds of food thanks to the members of our community who stepped up to support our neighbors in a time of need, unloading truckloads of boxes one by one in the heat and cold.
“We seek to continue our food justice work, which is becoming more important than ever as the COVID-19 delta variant ramps up in our community and the future remains uncertain. With these funds, we will be able to continue providing food to families every week as we continue working toward building a food pantry and kitchen at our new community campus.”
For Oak Cliff, founded by Taylor Toynes and Xavier Henderson, provides resources to their community such as GED programs, food drives, and enrichment programs for K-12.
In March, For Oak Cliff announced that it acquired the historic Moorland YMCA and moved from its original location in Glendale Shopping Mall in June. The new 10-acre community campus is 20,000 square feet, five times the amount of space it once had.
Although the nonprofit recently announced the temporary closure of its campus because of the rise of the delta variant, For Oak Cliff still plans to have its annual Back to School Festival at Glendale Park on Saturday.