Baltimore's annual AFRAM festival offering community grants to local organizations

BALTIMORE — The AFRAM Festival, an annual celebration of African American heritage and culture, is set to return to Baltimore's Druid Hill Park during Juneteenth weekend in June, with WJZ proudly serving as the festival's media sponsor.

Related: Baltimore AFRAM organizers anticipate bigger, better festival celebrating African-American heritage

This year, the festival is offering 10 community grants, each worth $1,000, to support local organizations hosting established Juneteenth events in Baltimore City. 

Imani Bryan, a local organizer with The Community Presents, was a recipient of one of the grants last year and encourages other organizations to apply.

"The money is real, you get a check," Bryan said. "The city wants us to have this opportunity. They want us to succeed."

Beyond providing financial support, Bryan added that the city also ensured her community event had the necessary resources to celebrate Juneteenth safely and on a grand scale. The grant money she received was used to create a vendor village for kids looking to participate in the event.

"They really appreciated the opportunity, that we paid for them and helped them with the process," Bryan said.

Applications for the grants are still being accepted, with a deadline of May 11. 

Nonprofit and community organizations interested in applying can visit the Baltimore AFRAM website for more information.

Grant recipients will be notified by May 25, and awards will be distributed by June 2.