02.16.2009 -  Every year, the advisory board of the Pine Bluff Area Community Foundation (PBACF) has the privilege of selecting local non-profit agencies and other organizations performing charitable work to receive what we call “discretionary” grants. All of our monies are held in funds, most of them endowed to protect the principal, which have been set up by donors or as the result of fund development by our board members. Some of these funds are set up such that the PBACF advisory board determines the use of the funds at its discretion - hence the term “discretionary”. 

The discretionary funds (all of them endowed) are: the Pine Bluff  Area Giving Tree Endowment, The Sarah J. Creasy Endowment, the City First Pine Bluff Endowment, The Cornerstone Youth at Risk Endowment, the Mothers’ Day Fund and the Fathers’ Day Fund.

In all, over $62,000 in grants have been recommended. The organizations that will receive funding are:

ACCESS, Inc. - To help fund Fresh Start ll Program - support prenatal and neonatal health

Arts & Science Center for SE Arkansas - Support for the Frederic Remington exhibit.

Bayou Bartholomew Alliance- For placement of concrete picnic tables at the Wal-Mart site.

CASA Women's Shelter- Backpacks, uniforms and supplies for school children housed at the shelter

Cotton Belt Historical Society, Inc. - redesign and improvement of the Arkansas Railroad Museum website.

Family Community Development Corp.- Teacher's stipends plus supplies for after-school tutoring program.

Jefferson County Single Parent Scholarship Fund- scholarships to be matched 150% by Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund

Jefferson Regional Medical Center-  Training materials for staff and families regarding infant car seats

Literacy Council of Jefferson County- Purchase Scantron Diagnostic equipment for grading of tests.

Neighbor to Neighbor, Inc.- Support for the Utility Assistance Program.

PB Commercial: Newspapers in Education - Provide newspapers to classrooms in Dollarway and Pine Bluff School Districts.

PB Downtown Development- Paint the Old Town

Pine Bluff 20/20 - Support for the 20/20 Diversity Goal Team

Pine Bluff Image Campaign Committee - Place lighted "Welcome to Pine Bluff" signs and American Flags

Pine Bluff Sister Cities- Air travel for American students going to Japan in 2009.

Pine Bluff Symphony Orchestra - Support the Summer Orchestra Workshop

SOS (RSVP) - Student Volunteer scholarships

Southeast AR American Red Cross - Support for “In Case Of Emergency” training program

Southern Good Faith Fund- Training and publicizing the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families

St. Peter's Catholic School- Cover the cost of restoring antique (1890's) documents and production of traveling historic exhibit

The Salvation Army - Pine Bluff- To provide 500 pairs of new shoes for low income school children.

YAC Endowment- Support fundraising for grants with matching dollars.