Brewers Association Announces 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Event Grant Recipients

$50,000 awarded to 14 events in nine states

Boulder, Colo. • March 3, 2020 — The Brewers Association—the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers—today announced the recipients of its 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Event Grants program. This year, 14 events were selected from 69 applications to receive grants totaling $50,000. Since the program’s inception in 2018, the association has awarded $75,000 to 21 events.

“With the Brewers Association’s generous contribution, we now have the power to organize our festival from coast to coast, hosting Beers With(out) Beards for a third time in NYC and for the first time in Oakland,” said Grace Weitz, Beers With(out) Beards. “Organizations like the Brewers Association that take the time to develop new initiatives like the Diversity and Inclusion Event Grants program truly ignite change in our industry. We are honored to be a part of the engine that is breaking barriers and building camaraderie in craft beer.”

Since the creation of its Diversity Committee in 2017 and the hiring of its first-ever diversity ambassador in 2018, the Brewers Association has taken continued, proactive steps to advance diversity and inclusivity among brewers and beer lovers. In 2019, the association released a five-part series of best practice guides that lay the groundwork for addressing, creating, and managing a diversity and inclusion program. In May, the inaugural class of diversity and inclusion event grant recipients was announced, with a total of $20,000 awarded to six recipients. The association also completed its first benchmarking survey of brewery owner and employee diversity in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity; and in December published a free We Welcome Everyone poster available for download in Spanish and English for breweries and beer businesses. For 2020, the Brewers Association will publish a series of case studies written by diversity ambassador Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, Ph.D, that spotlight best practices in action, and will also introduce a pilot mentorship program.

“It’s inspiring to see so many organizations striving to connect and welcome new people to beer and each other, ” said Julia Herz, craft beer program director, Brewers Association. “While there is still much work to be done, we are proud to continue our commitment to nurture a more diverse and inclusive craft beer community and we congratulate this year’s grant recipients.”

2020 Grant Recipients

See complete summary here.

Beersgiving

Organization: Beersgiving
Event Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Event Date: Monthly, 2020
Event Description: Beersgiving is a national traveling event that brings civilian and military families together by combining craft beer S.T.E.M. experiments with local food and beer offerings.

Biere de Femme

Organization: Pink Boots Society St. Louis
Event Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Event Date: August 29, 2020
Event Description: Women from all areas of the beer industry will come together to brew beer and educate the public about beer and the amazing women in the brewing industry. The event will raise money for scholarships to send women to educational programs to further their careers.

Open Hands 48 Film Festival

Organization: Left Hand Brewing
Event Location: Longmont, Colo.
Event Date: July 25, 2020
Event Description: This event is the first major initiative for the Open Hands Committee, Left Hand Brewing’s diversity and inclusion initiative. The festival will feature short films that showcase diversity, inclusion, and equity in craft beer.

Beers With(out) Beards

Organization: Hop Culture
Event Location: New York City, N.Y., and Oakland, Calif.
Event Date: June 10-13, 2020 and October 7-10, 2020
Event Description: Beers With(out) Beards will host a series of educational events aimed at empowering women in the beer and brewing industry by cultivating conversations around gender disparity. The festival will feature over 20 of the top women-led breweries in the country. New this year, Beer With(out) Beards will also host the event in Oakland, Calif.

Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum Grand Opening

Organization: Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum
Event Location: Onancock, Va.
Event Date: May 30, 2020
Event Description: This community event celebrates the history of Samuel D. Outlaw’s Blacksmith Shop, a post-slavery era staple on the eastern shore of Virginia whose owner forged a way of life for the community in the face of racism, segregation, and Jim Crow. The museum has partnered with the community’s first brewery, Black Narrow Brewing Company, to brew a collaboration beer for the grand opening event.

FemAle Brew Fest

Organization: FemAle Brew Fest
Event Location: Dania Beach, Fla.
Event Date: March 21, 2020
Event Description: This one-day craft beer festival celebrates women in the brewing industry. The festival will feature craft beer, yoga, industry talks, and music. Proceeds will go to the Abandoned Pet Rescue.

HeART and Soul Brewfest

Organization: Like the Fruit, LLC
Event Location: Richmond, Va.
Event Date: July 25, 2020
Event Description: This urban cultural arts festival combines soul food and craft beer. HeART and Soul Brewfest will feature music, poetry, live painting, and beer from over 40 black-owned businesses in Richmond.

ColdXela 2020

Organization: Gumball Foundation
Event Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Event Date: August 2020
Event Description: ColdXela will partner with the SoCal Cerveceros Homebrew Club to highlight Latinx, Asian, and African American brewed beer while educating attendees on the brewing process and beer style varieties. The event will feature beers and ciders from over 50 homebrewers from all over LA County, live music, food, and other local vendors.

Bold Women and Beer Festival

Organization: Bold Women and Beer Festival
Event Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Event Date: May 16, 2020
Event Description: Bold Women and Beer Festival, Philadelphia’s first women-centered beer festival, will partner with the Philadelphia Chapter of the Pink Boots Society to raise money for its scholarship fund. Most participating breweries will pour beer brewed by women specifically for this festival. The event will highlight women in beer and women-led and women-owned businesses.

Dopetoberfest

Organization: Crowns & Hops
Event Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Event Date: October 10, 2020
Event Description: Dopetoberfest focuses on diversifying LA’s craft beer community through education and culture. The festival will feature panel discussions led by groups who focus on advocating for diversity and inclusion in craft beer, a homebrewers of color showcase, and a craft beer tasting.

Dames and Dregs Beer + Festival

Organization: Dames and Dregs Beer + Festival
Event Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Event Date: August 14-15, 2020
Event Description: This two-day festival seeks to empower and educate the community by celebrating women’s contributions to brewing and the beer industry. The 2020 festival focuses on beer, brewing, and business education using a blend of hands-on workshops and panel discussions.

Beer Culture Summit

Organization: Chicago Brewseum
Event Location: Chicago, Ill.
Event Date: November 11-14, 2020
Event Description: This event brings together a community of scholars, researchers, museum professionals, beer industry experts, and everyday enthusiasts to learn about beer’s historic legacies and modern worth. The conference features dozens of events and speakers from varying backgrounds and experiences in the craft beer industry.

Suave Fest

Organization: Raices Brewing Company
Event Location: Denver, Colo.
Event Date: September 12, 2020
Event Description: This Latin craft beer festival highlights Latin-owned craft breweries from around the nation. The event celebrates Latin American and Caribbean culture with art, poetry, music, and food. New this year, Suave Fest is partnering with Meow Wolf to bring art and artists to the festival.

Brewers of Pennsylvania Symposium

Organization: Brewers of Pennsylvania
Event Location: State College, Pa.
Event Date: September 20-22, 2020
Event Description: The event focuses on both the business and science of brewing by hosting 15-20 professional development sessions. This year will feature a track called “Project D.I.N.E.” (Diversity Inclusion Not Exclusion) as well as tracks that focus on product marketing awareness and hiring practices to increase diversity in the workforce.

Grant applications for 2021 will be accepted in October. More information on the Diversity and Inclusion Event Grants Program can be found here.

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 5,400-plus 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®, SAVOR^™: 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.