After a pandemic-driven hiatus, the Brewers Association (BA) has revived its Diversity and Inclusion Event Grant program to support events that bring diversity to the overwhelmingly white craft beer industry.
“The Brewers Association is proud to fund event grants in support of local and regional events that thoughtfully and intentionally promote and foster a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive craft beer community,” the organization wrote.
The BA is accepting grant applications on a rolling basis through November 1. The trade group’s Philanthropy and Outreach Subcommittee — a newly formed division of the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee — will consider applications each month. The subcommittee’s members include:
- Sierra Grossman (chair), Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California;
- Raymond Berry, White Lion Brewing, Springfield, Massachusetts;
- Mariah Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware;
- Jennie Olson, Arryved, Boulder, Colorado;
- Heather Sanborn, Rising Tide Brewing Company, Portland, Maine.
“In previous years, applicant feedback identified the timing and length of the submission period as somewhat restrictive,” BA equity and inclusion partner Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham said in a press release. “Moreover, with local, state, and federal guidelines around COVID-19 restrictions sure to evolve over the coming months, it made sense to move to a rolling deadline.”
Jackson-Beckham, Grossman and BA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee co-chair Virginia Morrison (Second Chance Beer Company) will host an webinar about the grant program at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 1.
Past grant recipients include Hop Culture’s Beers With(out) Beards festival, which showcased beers from female brewers; Raices Brewing Company’s Suave Fest, which celebrated Latino culture and beer; and Harpoon Brewery’s Hop Forward Career Fair, which sought to recruit people from underrepresented groups to work in the craft beer industry.
Last year’s grant recipients were named, but most funds were not disbursed because the events could not take place due to the pandemic. Those event organizers will be given priority consideration for the 2021 grant cycle.
They include:
- Suave Fest, Raices Brewing Company, Denver, Colorado;
- FemAle Brew Fest, Dania Beach, Florida;
- Bold Women and Beer Festival, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
- Open Hands 48 Film Festival, Left Hand Brewing Foundation, Longmont, Colorado;
- Dopetoberfest, Crowns & Hops, Los Angeles, California;
- Family Afternoons Out, Beersgiving, Fort Worth, Texas;
- Beers With(out) Beards, Hop Culture, virtual;
- Dames and Dregs Beer + Festival, Atlanta, Georgia;
- Beer Culture Summit, Chicago Brewseum, virtual;
- ColdXela 2020, Gumball Foundation and SoCalCerveceros Homebrew Club, Los Angeles, California;
- Biere de Femme, Pink Boots Society St. Louis Chapter, St. Charles, Missouri;
- HeART and Soul Brew Fest, Like the Fruit LLC, Richmond, Virginia;
- Brewers of Pennsylvania Symposium, Brewers of Pennsylvania, State College, Pennsylvania;
- Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum Grand Opening, Onancock, Virginia.
Since its inception in 2018, the BA’s Diversity and Inclusion Event grant program has donated $75,000 to 21 events. The program aims to support events that meet one of the following goals:
- “Increasing access to and responsible appreciation of craft beer for underrepresented populations and those who have experienced barriers to access to the broader craft brewing community.
- Promoting employment and ownership opportunities in the craft brewing community for members of underrepresented populations and those in the craft brewing community who have experienced barriers to access and advancement.
- Events that celebrate the diversity of the craft brewing community and increase the visibility of underrepresented groups and experiences.
- Events that increase the cultural competence and increase the adoption of diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices among members of the broader craft brewing community.
- Events that leverage the strengths of the craft brewing community to fight injustice, eliminate disparities, and provide solutions to an array of challenges that impact those who produce and enjoy craft beer.”
Events that meet these goals could include beer, film or music festivals, food and beer pairing events, agricultural fairs, ethinic and cultural events, neighborhood celebrations, or job fairs, among others.
The BA has been criticized for its handling of past racist incidents at member breweries. Last summer, the organization developed a code of conduct that requires members to act in compliance with the law, to treat individuals and groups with respect, to promote the responsible consumption and marketing of alcoholic beverages.
Members who violate the code are subject to censure, having their membership conditioned on them taking remedial action, or having their membership revoked temporarily or permanently.
Only members of the BA’s professional brewing division are authorized to file complaints, but complaints may come from a group of members. After a complaint is filed, the BA’s appointed panel will have 60 days to investigate the complaint and decide whether to advance it to the board of directors. Complaints must attain a two-thirds majority vote to be elevated to the board.
The BA has received two complaints this week following a tidal wave of allegations of sexual harassment and workplace hostility at craft breweries that industry employees have shared on social media. The nature of both complaints is confidential.