By Toby Sells - The Commercial Appeal -

Give 365 members have awarded the group’s first grants for projects as diverse as ballet to skateboarding.

The giving collective doled out $34,650 in grants to Indie Memphis for its Freedom Series of films; Splinter Youth Inc. for portable skateboard ramps and instruction in underserved neighborhoods; Overton Park’s Levitt Shell for its ongoing concert series; Dress for Success for professional clothes for disadvantaged women seeking jobs; New Ballet Ensemble and School for dance scholarships in the Orange Mound neighborhood; Hattiloo Theatre for a Hatiloo in the Park performance; Center for Southern Folklore for the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival; and Su Casa Family Ministries for their work with Hispanic families.

Give 365 is a collection of donors who pay at least $365 per year into a fund for Memphis non-profit groups. The group was launched in June.

The fund is managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.