Carlton V. Bell II is a transformative nonprofit leader and development professional whose approach to donor organizing, grant management, and fundraising has built impactful, sustainable growth for arts and social justice organizations. With a career marked by raising over $1 million in funding, Carlton has developed robust strategies to ensure resources reach historically underrepresented communities, advocating for cultural equity and championing opportunities that uplift marginalized voices. These practices include; curating focused programming and practices based in mutual aid, philanthropic advocacy, development/fundraising, popular education & capacity building for individual artists as well as collectives of artists, storytellers, and oral traditionalists.
As Co-Founder and Director of Development for the Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Collective (BBRTC), Carlton secured over $320,000 to support Black arts and cultural programming, with funding highlights that include $36,600 in Community Foundation LGBTQ Fund Grants and two $20,000 Dramatist Guild Grants. Carlton also successfully secured a $135,000 leadership transition grant from the Cricket Island Foundation, which directly supported creating career opportunities for emerging leaders within BBRTC. Transitioning out of their leadership role in 2024, Carlton intentionally created space for new Black queer youth leadership, including two Co-Artistic Directors, ensuring the organization’s continued growth and impact under a new generation of voices.
In 2024, Carlton joined Write It Out! as Director of Development, where they expanded on their proven fundraising expertise, organizing donor networks and mobilizing funds to sustain critical arts programming. They spearheaded a successful multi-year grant from Viiv Healthcare, securing $600,000 to support arts and health initiatives focused on under-resourced communities, specifically people living with HIV. Carlton’s approach here emphasizes their skill in donor engagement, establishing connections with corporate, community, and individual donors that maximize long-term programmatic impact.
Since 2021, Carlton has served as a Fellow, Program Associate, and Advisor for the Third Wave Fund’s Sex Worker Giving Circle (SWGC), a $1.2 million program dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ and sex worker rights. Carlton’s impact within SWGC includes frequent collaboration with the development and media/comms team at Third Wave for including appearing in a host of panels, workshops, and events. Through intentional philanthropic advocacy, Carlton has broadened SWGC’s reach, guiding funding strategies that prioritize community input and honor the lived experiences of recipients.
Carlton’s data-driven approach extends to their partnership development work, having cultivated impactful relationships with donors and sponsors that include AmeriCorps ($5,000), the Jefferson County Board of Education Theatre Lab ($45,000), and AIDS Alabama ($10,000). Their meticulous fundraising campaigns, including an ongoing partnership with individual donors resulting in over $75,000, reflect a commitment to building sustainable donor relationships that empower under-resourced communities.
Committed to capacity-building and racial justice, Carlton has collaborated with organizations such as Highlander Research and Education Center, Arts Equity, and National Performance Network where their focus on racial equity and volunteer mobilization maximized community-led programming. In addition, Carlton has served on grant-making committees for the SouthEastern Theatre Conference.
From securing multi-year grants to developing transformative donor networks utilizing cultural organizing strategies and containers, Carlton V. Bell II’s work exemplifies a vision for philanthropy that mobilizes resources strategically and ethically, advancing cultural equity and supporting a more just and inclusive future.
“Futuring Through Intergenerational Exchange”: NPN Webinar
We currently have five generations in the current work system. This means all of us are maneuvering through a complex web of differing values, work styles, organizational commitments and lived experiences. We continue our discussion on creating aligned and energetic spaces through a webinar with three Network cultural workers with distinct approaches to intergenerational exchange. We have invited them to share thoughts, answer questions, and engage in a dialogue that helps us see each other as more than generational stereotypes.
As we navigate, here is a reading that gives language to organizational challenges and recommendations. https://convergencemag.com/articles/building-resilient-organizations-toward-joy-and-durable-power-in-a-time-of-crisis/
“Get in Yo Bag” - Grant-Writing 101
The "Get In Yo Bag: Grant Writing Workshop" is a deep dive into grant writing for individuals or organizations. This session will covering tips & tricks to finding, selecting and submitting funding opportunities, as well as consultation around best practices on statements and submission materials.
LGBTQ+ 101 & Affirming Practices
Welcome to LGBTQ+ Inclusion 101 & Affirming Practices. This course is led by c.j Bell, By the end of this course, you'll be able to successfully implement LGBTQIA+ and LGBTQ2S+ practices in the classroom. And you will learn more information on how you, yourself, can relate to these specific margins, as an educator.