Durham Launches Bull City Future Fund
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams is launching the Bull City Future Fund, an initiative aimed at improving youth engagement in the city.
The fund, a collaboration between the Office of the Mayor, United Way of the Greater Triangle (UWGT), and the Triangle Community Foundation (TCF), seeks to address the growing concern over the lack of youth involvement in Durham, which has implications for both youth development and community safety.
“This fund is not about gun violence,” Williams said during a press event kicking off the initiative. “It’s not about youth that are getting into trouble. It’s not about bad behavior. It’s really about creating a community and culture in which helping one another build a better, safer community for our future – our kids – is a reality for all of us.”
The Bull City Future Fund will establish a grant program to provide financial support to local non-profits focused on youth engagement. The primary goal is to ensure that vulnerable young people in Durham have access to productive, non-academic programming. Current extracurricular activities and summer programs in the city are overstretched, highlighting the need for additional resources.
Mayor Williams has emphasized the importance of community and corporate partnerships in making the fund successful. Local stakeholders, including businesses and residents, are encouraged to contribute to the fund, which will be managed by UWGT.
“Whether you have a dollar or a million dollars,” Williams said, donors should contribute to invest in organizations already doing the work to help lift up Durham’s children.
The collaboration with UWGT and TCF aims to leverage philanthropic expertise within the Triangle to direct funding to effective youth-focused organizations. The initiative will prioritize data-driven and participatory decision-making to ensure resources are allocated where they are most needed.
Donations to the Bull City Future Fund can be sent by check to PO Box 110583, Durham, NC 27709, with “Bull City Future Fund” noted in the memo line. For more information on how to contribute, contact Dave Mills at UWGT at dmills@unitedwaytriangle.org.
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