As part of its ongoing quest to help foster a more inclusive brewing industry, the Brewers Association (BA) has launched a new grant program that will provide funding to “events that increase access and awareness of craft beer to new demographics.”
Announced Wednesday, the grant program will include funding for beer festivals, beer and food pairing events, ethnic and cultural heritage festivals and film festivals, among others.
“The Brewers Association continues to take proactive steps to advance our members and the brewing community’s path of diversity and inclusivity,” Julia Herz, the BA’s craft beer program director, said via a press release.
The BA did not disclose how much it plans to award event organizers or share how the grants will be funded.
In a note to Brewbound, Herz said the announcement was aimed at discovering the festivals and events that are focused on promoting diversity, and “generating awareness of diverse and inclusive minded beer events.”
According to the BA’s diversity and inclusion grant proposal guidelines, submissions must be received by March 15, for 2019 event funding. The BA will spend the remainder of March evaluating proposals, and it will begin notifying applicants on April 15.
The BA also said requested funds should not exceed 25 percent of an event’s budget, and the organizers must also acknowledge the financial support in any collateral and communication about the event.
The announcement comes about one month after the BA’s diversity ambassador, Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, authored and published a five-part series of best practice resource guides that are intended to help members “lay the groundwork for addressing, creating, and managing a diversity and inclusion program.”
Jackson-Beckham, an assistant professor of communication studies at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, was hired by the BA last April to work alongside the organization’s diversity committee, which was established in 2017.
Speaking at the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference, Jackson-Beckham implored attendees to reach out to “underexplored demographics.”
“If you’re going to grow, you cannot simply sell beer just to white dudes with beards,” she said, at the time.
A press release with additional details about the new grants program is included below.
Brewers Association Launches New Diversity and Inclusion Event Grants Program
Boulder, Colo. • February 13, 2019— The Brewers Association—the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers—today launched a new grant program to fund local and regional events that intentionally promote and foster a more diverse and inclusive craft beer community.
Funding priorities include events that increase access and awareness of craft beer to new demographics while cultivating an inclusive environment. These include beer festivals; beer and food pairing events; agricultural fairs and celebrations; ethnic and cultural heritage festivals; neighborhood and community celebrations; entrepreneurship and innovation festivals; film festivals and more.
“The Brewers Association continues to take proactive steps to advance our members and the brewing community’s path of diversity and inclusivity,” said Julia Herz, craft beer program director, Brewers Association. “By helping to support these varied types of events, we can foster growth and spur a cultural shift when it comes to the beverage of beer. We look forward to reviewing the proposals and awarding the inaugural class of grant recipients.”
Recognizing the need for increased inclusion both at the beer lover and brewery level, the Brewers Association has created programs designed to cultivate conversation and action around diversity and inclusivity in craft beer. Since the creation of its diversity committee in 2017, the Brewers Association hired J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, Ph.D. as its diversity ambassador, launched a series of diversity and inclusion best practice resources for its members and served as a sponsor of the 2018 Fresh Fest—the nation’s first black brew festival.
Grant applications will be accepted from February 13, 2019, until March 15, 2019. For additional information on the Diversity and Inclusion Event Grants Program and guidelines, visit the Brewers Association website.
About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents more than 4,800 U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, SAVORTM: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, Homebrew Con, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® magazine, and Brewers Publications® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com® and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association® and the free Brew Guru® mobile app. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.