OCCF Commemorates 5th Anniversary of African American Alliance Fund with $1 Million Granted

IRVINE, Calif. (June 18, 2025) — Marking five years of impact, the African American Alliance Fund (AAAF) at the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) is transforming generosity into action. In recognition of Juneteenth 2025, OCCF is announcing that the Fund has awarded more than $1 million in grants to 81 organizations since inception. This year, AAAF awarded $150,000 to 21 organizations exemplifying the Fund’s mission.

Founded on June 19, 2020, by OCCF President Tammy Tumbling, the African American Alliance Fund was established to raise awareness of systemic racism and support programs that uplift Black communities across California, nationally, and internationally. The Fund emerged during a period of high-profile incidents that led to a national reckoning on the issues of race, equity, and social justice. In collaboration with OCCF, Tammy’s vision was to create a bridge to the community through philanthropy and engagement. The African American Alliance Fund is one of many tools to advance OCCF’s work for racial justice and equity. It reflects its commitment to investing in the promise and potential of diverse communities in Orange County and beyond.

The Fund has extended its philanthropic reach well beyond Orange County, supporting initiatives across neighboring counties – including Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino – as well as nationally in cities like New Orleans and Atlanta, and even internationally in Cape Town, South Africa. This broad impact has been made possible through the generosity of major funding partners, including The California Endowment, Southern California Edison, The Weingart Foundation, and the Samueli Foundation.

Grants have supported initiatives such as the New Hope Orange County Orchestra, National College Resources Foundation, Bridge Builders Foundation, 100 Black Men (Orange County, Los Angeles and Long Beach), Institute For Black Intellectual Innovation Research Pathways Internship Program, Thurgood Marshall Bar Association Foundation, Xavier University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia) and Lawhill Maritime School (South Africa).

Each year, OCCF assembles a committee to review select proposals for funding based on AAAF’s priority areas of education, health, human services, economic opportunity, and civic engagement. 2025 grantees include:

Last year, OCCF granted $178,500 to 28 organizations through the Alliance Fund. AAAF grantees have educated and supported Orange County’s Black communities – connecting them with vital resources for their benefit. The 2025 grantees include organizations that reapplied for funding and new organizations that have met specific eligibility criteria. Grantees have exemplified the AAAF mission by investing in the success of underrepresented and diverse communities.

In addition to granting, the AAAF holds community gatherings that connect OC and LA-based organizations focused on racial equity and education. The AAAF hopes to serve as a convener in the county, building on its relationships with grantees to create a supportive community of Black-led and Black-serving organizations.

For more information about previous and current African American Alliance Fund grantees, please visit https://www.oc-cf.org/AAAF.

About Orange County Community Foundation
The Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) combines giving strategy, community intelligence, enduring relationships, and heartfelt intention to amplify the power of giving and its profound result: greater good in Orange County, and beyond. We serve as a resource for individual and family philanthropists, facilitate grant and scholarship programs, and lead community-based initiatives. We inspire giving and connect people and resources to create sustainable impact, granting more than $1.1 billion since 1989 in Orange County, across the country, and around the world. For more information, visit oc-cf.org or call (949) 553-4202. Be a part of our conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. View OCCF’s 2024 annual report here.