ATLANTA – Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) announced all 15 of her Community Project Funding Requests were included in the House of Representatives’ FY2023 appropriations legislation. The requests total more than $20 million. The requests are being reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee subcommittees before full committee consideration. 

Congresswoman Williams said: 

“All 15 projects will serve people in every part of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District by honoring our civil rights legacy, reconnecting neighborhoods, building equitable infrastructure, investing in our HBCUs, and creating a community where no one gets left behind. This year’s requests build on the resounding success of my first Community Project Funding Requests and I am securing more investment in Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District. Now that the first step of this process is complete, I look forward to passing each Community Project Funding Request to deliver resources for the people of the District.”

Leocadia I.  Zak. President of Agnes Scott College said:

“We are extremely grateful to Congresswoman Williams for recognizing the project’s benefits for the college’s highly diverse students and for Georgia’s future workforce. This project will substantially enhance our students’ ability to immerse themselves in an innovative digital environment starting with their first day on campus. Digital learning has been a core element of SUMMIT, our global learning and inclusive leadership development experience, from the beginning. Whether students build new digital applications, develop innovative audio and video formats, or connect virtually with students and faculty across the globe, this project will enable our students in every major to acquire global and leadership competencies via a state-of-the-art digital environment that connects ‘knowing and doing’ for the benefit of the Georgia community.” 

Michael Hodge, Executive Director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium, Inc said: 

“I am grateful to Congresswoman Nikema Williams and her team for supporting this important initiative. The funding will be used to address the critical DEI issues in government service, particularly at the administrative levels of government. Service is the foundation that keeps our society strong, prosperous, and secure. African American contributions to the ranks of middle and upper administration will be strengthened as we prepare the future leaders of our nation.” 

Commissioner Larry Johnson, Dekalb County Board of Commissioners District 3 said: 

“These sidewalks will create better outcomes for pedestrian safety and wellness. These additional funds will help make these goals a reality.  We truly appreciate Congresswoman Williams putting her efforts into wellness and pedestrian safety.”

City of East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham said: 

“We are truly grateful for Congresswoman Williams’ continued people-focused leadership and unyielding commitment to helping us address our water infrastructure needs,” said Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham. “She worked tirelessly to secure funding that will help ensure that the City continues to provide reliable clean drinking water to the residents of East Point and the Tri-Cities area. The Community Project Funding will be used for water main upgrades on Winburn Drive and continued regulatory compliance which will decrease disruptions in the City’s water service and will help increase the water pressure and water capacity for firefighting activities.”

Julie Sills Molock, Education Farm’s Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer said: 

“It is a major milestone for our global HBCU campus for innovation and learning to be among the Fiscal Year 2023 funding initiatives approved to advance by the House Appropriations Committee. We are beyond grateful that Congresswoman Nikema Williams recognized the impact the Propel Center will have in Georgia, as well as across the entire HBCU ecosystem, and chose to support our funding request that will help prepare tomorrow’s leaders with the digital and dynamic problem solving skills needed to fill and create jobs of the future.” 

Dr. Charles Moore, Director of Emory Urban Health Initiative said: 

“Emory University and the Urban Health Initiative would like to thank Congresswoman Williams for her advocacy on behalf of our Wellness Works Community (WWC). With this additional funding, we will be able to provide comprehensive, individualized case management, wrap-around, and therapeutic services to individuals ages 14-40 who have experienced trauma associated with violence, resulting in reduced violence in high-risk communities.  We appreciate Congresswoman Williams’s commitment to improving the lives of her constituents and are pleased to partner with her on this and other important initiatives.” 

Collie Greenwood, Interim CEO for MARTA said: 

“Congresswoman Williams understands that sidewalks, crosswalks and ADA ramps are critical to the safety and accessibility of riding a bus and MARTA is grateful for her request of $1 million in Community Project Funding to add those facilities at District 5 high ridership stops where they are needed.”

Daniel Dawes, Executive Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine said: 

“Morehouse School of Medicine is committed to leading the creation and advancement of health equity. For us, that means making sure that we are not only providing top notch training to the next generation of learners and leaders, but it also means serving as an anchor institution in our surrounding community. Thanks to Congresswoman Nikema Williams’ tireless service and leadership, our Community Project Funding Request will allow us to build out critical support facilities to serve as the center of our research, academic, life, community outreach, and campus identity. By partnering with us to expand our ability to serve the community, Congresswoman Williams is partnering directly with the community. For that, we are exceedingly grateful.”

Sarah Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Shepherd Center said:

“For most people, driving is a necessity—it gives us independence. Driving allows us to go to work, participate in leisure activities, run errands and to travel. However, following a catastrophic injury or disease, it can lead to significant muscle paralysis or loss of cognition that would make driving impossible or very unsafe. The adaptive driving program trains people with disabilities to become independent drivers again through the use of specialized cars/vans and other equipment. This allows these individuals to become fully reintegrated back into the community. Not only does it allow individuals to drive, but it also increases safety on the roads. The Congresswoman is supporting individuals’ independence” 

The FY23 Community Project Funding Requests are: 

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Layers of Protection – Abuse PreventionRequest Amount: $2,000,000
• Atlanta University Center: Center for Academic Excellence in Government Service
  Request Amount: $2,000,000
• City of College Park: Stormwater Upgrades 
  Request Amount: $800,000
• City of East Point: Water Main Upgrades
  Request Amount: $1,600,000
• Ralph David Abernathy III Foundation, Inc.:Ralph David Abernathy III Foundation, Inc.
  Request Amount: $4,000,000
• Buckhead CID: HUB404
  Request Amount: $750,000
• MCP Foundation, Inc.: Midtown Connector Project
  Request Amount: $750,000
• Morehouse School of Medicine: Academic & Research Building 
  Request Amount: $950,000
• Georgia State University: Project Healthy Grandparents
  Request Amount: $700,000
• Ed Farm: Propel Center
  Request Amount: $2,544,902
• Agnes Scott College: Promoting Digital Literacy, Professional Success, and Global Learning through Technology 
  Request Amount: $1,024,940
• Dekalb County: Rainbow Drive and Columbia Drive Sidewalk Development
  Request Amount: $750,000
• MARTA: Safe Routes to Transit in GA-05
  Request Amount: $1,000,000
• Shepherd Center: Shepherd Center Adaptive Driving Program 
  Request Amount: $800,000
• Emory University: Wellness Works Community and Wellness Works Community Annex
  Request Amount: $500,000

Click here for Congresswoman Williams’ webpage with complete information on the FY23 Community Project Funding Requests. 

CONTACT: PressGA05@mail.house.gov 

Congresswoman Nikema Williams proudly serves Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District. Congresswoman Williams serves on the exclusive Financial Services Committee where she is Vice Chair of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Select Committee for the Modernization of Congress. She is Freshman Class President and Co-Chairs the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus. Congresswoman Williams builds on the Fifth District’s legacy as the cradle of the civil rights movement as a champion of voting rights, closing the racial wealth gap, and ensuring the promise of America for all–regardless of their ZIP code or bank account.

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