In six years, the Jefferson County Commission distributed $25 million in community grants to cities, nonprofits and other groups.

Reporting by AL.com and The Birmingham Times found that the people elected to run Alabama’s largest county have doled out more and more pork, dipping into public dollars intended for infrastructure projects. In six years, the pot of money that each of the five commissioners’ had to distribute to community organizations grew from $100,000 to $1.1 million.

[Read more: $25 million in giveaways: Inside Jefferson County’s pork barrel bonanza]

And in many instances, commissioners aren’t getting reports of how organizations are spending the public dollars. That’s despite the county’s own rules requiring groups to report back on how they used the money.

These are the top 10 groups, excluding governmental groups and cities, that received community grants from the county commission from 2018 to 2024, according to the county’s records.

Friends of McCalla

The county commission gave Friends of McCalla, a nonprofit that says it supports projects that benefit McCalla citizens, nearly $1.1 million. All of the funding was directed from District 3 Commissioner Jimmie Stephens.

Stephens said in an interview that he wasn’t concerned by the lack of spending reports from Friends of McCalla.

“We have been lax because when we asked them if they’re building a concession stand and you go out there and see a concession stand, it’s there,” he said. “You have to make sure you see where that money is being spent. If you can’t see where that money is being spent you don’t know whether it’s been spent.”

Friends of McCalla formed in 2012 to build a ballpark after Norfolk Southern Railroad donated a tract of land in the mid-2000s. In 2014, Jefferson County recalled $300,000 initially intended for McAdory Youth Football and redistributed those funds to Friends of McCalla as seed money for a ballpark.

The ballpark is located right next to McAdory Elementary at 6251 Eastern Valley Road in McCalla.

“We’re working on a more detailed report from Friends of McCalla to verify what’s going on, but I am comfortable that this money was spent properly and the way it was designed to be spent,” Stephens added.

He also said that he has faith in the leadership of Friends of McCalla.

“It goes back to the confidence and the character of those individuals, and if I have slacked in that because of the confidence and character I have in those individuals, that’s on me,” he said. “If there is any money that has been misappropriated, that’s on me. I’ll take responsibility for it. But I am so comfortable and sure that all of these dollars have been spent properly.”

Empowerment Inc.

The county commission gave $695,000 to the nonprofit, which provides after-school programming for low-income children and support for people experiencing homelessness, per its tax filings. The majority of that funding was distributed by District 1 Commissioner Lashunda Scales: $675,000. District 2 Commissioner Sheila Tyson distributed another $20,000.

Freshwater Land Trust

The full commission and individual commissioners from four of the five districts gave Freshwater Land Trust, a nonprofit in Birmingham, a total of roughly $653,000. The group conserves land to protect waterways throughout central Alabama and has developed the Red Rock Trail System, which is still in progress, across Jefferson County, per its website.

Alabama Cooperative Extension System

The full commission gave the Alabama Cooperative Extension System a total of $600,000 and has historically provided funding since 2010, according to commissioners. The initiative is an outreach effort by Alabama A&M University and Auburn University to provide research-based education from the two land-grant institutions, according to its website.

The Penny Foundation Inc.

The county commission gave the Penny Foundation a total of $490,000. The majority of that funding, or $485,000, was distributed by Commissioner Scales. Commissioner Tyson also distributed $5,000 of the funding.

The Birmingham nonprofit, founded in 2017, is one of few community foundations in the country that’s managed by African Americans, and the organization issues grants, fundraises and has programming to boost economic equity for the Black community, per its website.

Sports Council, Inc.

The county commission gave the Alabama Sports Council $485,000. Most of that money – $400,000 of it – came from the full commission to support the Magic City Classic. But Commissioner Scales distributed an additional $85,000 in grant funding.

The Birmingham nonprofit hosts sporting events, including the annual Magic City Classic event, to boost local economic development, per its website.

Birmingham Urban League, Inc.

The county commission gave the Birmingham Urban League $477,600. All of that funding was distributed by Commissioner Tyson.

The nonprofit, founded in 1967 as a local chapter, provides community resources like financial literacy education, rental and utility assistance, small business support, online tutoring and job training, per its website.

Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

The county commission gave the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame $410,000. Some of that funding ($50,000) was distributed by the full commission. Separately, Commissioner Scales distributed $175,000, while Commissioner Tyson distributed $185,000.

The Birmingham nonprofit, founded in 1984, promotes jazz music and history in the city, including through its museum at Carver Theatre in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District as well as music education programs, per its website.

Jefferson State Community College

The county commission gave the community college $400,000. All of that funding was distributed by Commissioner Scales.

The public community college has campuses in northeast Birmingham, Shelby County, Pell City and Clanton.

Red Mountain Park Foundation

The county commission gave the foundation $332,500. More than $307,000 of that was distributed by former District 5 commissioner Steve Ammons, while the full commission distributed another $25,000.

The Birmingham nonprofit, founded in 2010, supports the mountaintop park and its greenspace development.

Take a look at every organization that the Jefferson County Commission has distributed community grants to between 2018 and 2024:

[Can’t see the table? Click here.]