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09 Mar

Posted at 20:20h in Community News, Grantmaking Impact
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The Community Foundation of Grant County challenged local nonprofit organizations to co-apply with one or more organization to be included in a three-year capacity-building cohort. Organizations approved for this cohort will also receive up to a $50,000 grant annually to deepen the relationship with their co-applicant and strengthen their missions. The purpose of this implementation grant is for nonprofit organizations in Grant County to build back better following the COVID-19 crisis and deepening the relationship between two or more organizations while simultaneously increasing the capacity of Grant County nonprofit leaders. “The concept of “third path” comes from the book Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. We’ve all experienced crises, some worse than others. Will we go back to “normal”; will we regress? Or will we use the opportunity to take the third path? One that leads from setback to resilience” said Meagan Mathias, Community Investment Manager at the Community Foundation. “We at the Community Foundation believe that “we’re all in this together” and the only way we’ll get through this time in our history is by building, and deepening relationships.” Partners receiving a grant to participate in The Third Path Cohort: Carey Services and Grant County Society for Crippled Children and Adults  Grant amount: $49,167 Grant purpose:...

23 Feb

Posted at 17:09h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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I grew up on Schoolhouse Rock. Those quippy tunes like Interjections taught me: “Interjections (Hey!) show excitement (Yow!) or emotion (Ouch!). They're generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point or by a comma when the feeling's not as strong. Mmhmm…” 🎶 I learned how a bill becomes law after I’m Just a Bill sang: “When I started, I wasn't even a bill, I was just an idea … so they called their local Congressman and he said, "You're right, there oughta be a law." Then he sat down and wrote me out and introduced me to Congress. And I became a bill, and I'll remain a bill until they decide to make me a law.” 🎶 They’re silly songs, but the information has stayed with me all these years—And I’ve gotta say, if I could write a Schoolhouse Rock tune, I would write about how a fund at the Community Foundation becomes a grant and how you can be involved (Hurray!). How a fund becomes a grant: We all work hard for our money, so investing it wisely is important—even when it comes to charitable giving. As a donor, you might even wonder how a donation to your fund can help...

30 Sep

Posted at 20:44h in Community News, Grantmaking Impact
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The Community Foundation of Grant County has received a Community Leadership Grant of $150,000 as part of the seventh phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VII) initiative. With the grant, the Community Foundation will grow its community leadership footprint by launching Thriving Mill Township – an initiative designed to drive systems change and solutions to alleviate child poverty. “Every day, 4,469 Mill Township residents living in poverty – or just beyond it – face a resource desert for needs such as food, childcare, and transportation,” Community Foundation President and CEO Dawn Brown said about the Grant County township, which encompasses Gas City, Jonesboro and parts of rural Marion. “This grant will allow the Community Foundation to launch Thriving Mill Township in a community well suited for scaling impact and promoting sustainable solutions.” The Community Foundation of Grant County is one of 84 foundations in Indiana receiving grants through this round of GIFT VII grantmaking. Lilly Endowment created GIFT in 1990 to help local communities in Indiana develop the philanthropic capacity to identify local needs and challenges. It launched GIFT VII in 2018 and made available a total of $125 million to help foundations strengthen their leadership capacities...

23 Sep

Posted at 13:53h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]Indiana Wesleyan University and the Community Foundation of Grant County have partnered to establish the CAPE II Career Exploration Grant. The purpose of this grant is to financially support Grant County, Indiana organizations that offer career exploration experiences, provide career guidance and counseling, and encourage workplace internships and job shadows. Indiana Wesleyan University and the Community Foundation of Grant County will partner to determine distribution of funds. “It’s so wonderful to be able to talk to the community about how IWU and the Community Foundation are working together in this meaningful way,” said Dawn Brown, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Especially, since our next grant cycle will focus on building stronger relationships with community partners, just like this!” The Chair of the CAPE II Career Exploration Grant Committee will be the Associate Dean of Life Calling and Career at Indiana Wesleyan University (a non-voting position), two additional members appointed by Indiana Wesleyan University, and two additional members appointed by the Community Foundation of Grant County. Funding will be administered by the CAPE II Career Exploration Grant Committee with these applicant priorities: • A preference will be given to existing organizations that serve Grant County...

17 Aug

Posted at 18:02h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]The Community Foundation of Grant County is excited to announce that Habitat for Humanity of Grant County not only met but exceeded their $20,000 Crowdfunding Campaign goal to support the construction of a new Habitat for Humanity home in Grant County. Because Habitat for Humanity of Grant County met their fundraising goal, the Foundation will award the organization a dollar-for-dollar matching grant up to $20,000, plus any donations they received over the $20,000 goal. In 60 days, they raised $27,681! Add that to the Foundation’s $20,000 grant and a whopping $47,681 raised through the campaign, will be awarded to Habitat for Humanity. “The Community Foundation is proud to continue our mission of connecting people, resources and causes to promote sustainable impact for the betterment of Grant County,” Community Foundation Community Investment Manager Meagan Mathias said. “The Foundation has been doing this kind of work since 1984, and we enjoy helping quality organizations, like Habitat for Humanity, in making a positive impact in our community.” To the donors and partners of the Crowdfunding Campaign, Brittany Howey, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Grant County, said, “We are so incredibly thankful and humbled by your support...

19 Jul

Posted at 21:22h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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(Marion, IN – July 17, 2020) Several local organizations launched a project – Gift Cards for Thanks – in late April to support Grant County’s frontline workers and to give the local economy a boost at the same time. The project - spearheaded by a partnership between the Marion-Grant County Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Grant County, Community Foundation of Grant County, Gas City Area Chamber of Commerce, Upland Chamber of Commerce, and the Grant County Economic Growth Council –allowed donors to make a donation of any amount to support local Chamber businesses and then distributed those gift cards to employees in frontline industries – healthcare, first responders, and essential employers. Because of the abundant generosity of so many donors, the partnership purchased more than $10,000 in Gift Cards of Thanks to support local, small businesses. The partnership then turned those gift cards into ’plastic, rectangular social distancing hugs of encouragement’ and gave them to over 1,000 employees serving in COVID-support roles at the amazing frontline facilities. It was an encouragement campaign on steroids! The partners would like to say to donors, “Thank you for supporting our essential workers and providing critical cash support to our local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and...

29 Jun

Posted at 18:39h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]The Community Foundation of Grant County is excited to announce that Habitat for Humanity of Grant County has been approved for a Crowdfunding Grant to support the construction of a new Habitat for Humanity home in Grant County. Habitat has 60-days, ending August 11th, to crowdfund $20,000 for their project. Habitat is a non-profit housing ministry. They build simple, affordable homes for families in need, and sell them at no profit. Since established in 1993, Habitat has helped 54 Grant County families achieve the dream of homeownership. Habitat’s long-term goal is to build at least one Habitat home per year in Grant County. Habitat for Humanity of Grant County believes that all hard-working individuals and families should have a safe, affordable place to call home. “Habitat for Humanity is more than just building homes. Habitat helps build lives, self-esteem and confidence increases tremendously for homeowners once the home becomes theirs. They feel a sense of stability in their lives that had not been present before.” said Mia Erickson, Board Vice President. Habitat is building more than roofs and walls for partner homeowners. Instead, Habitat sees these homes as a foundation for a better, more stable future for...

25 Mar

Posted at 18:59h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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The Community Foundation of Grant County has believed in our mission to connect people, resources, and causes to promote sustainable impact towards the betterment of Grant County for 35 years. This uneasy time facing a global pandemic is no different. As we undergo a Governor-ordered stay-at-home quarantine mandate to flatten the curve, our social service organizations are working tirelessly to assist communities that are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The Give To Grant Community Impact Fund: It’s because of uncertain times like this that we created our GIVE TO GRANT COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND many years ago. This Fund provides flexible financial support to trusted nonprofit partners across Grant County who are responding to critical needs. The Fund also allows the Community Foundation Board to be nimble in their response to addressing our community’s most pressing and emerging needs, specifically with organizations working with our most vulnerable citizens. We need to recognize that our social service organizations have direct knowledge of these everchanging critical issues, while also maintaining strong relationships with the citizens they serve. Therefore, with respect to this on-the-ground understanding of the ramifications of COVID-19, we will rely on our trusted nonprofit partners to communicate to us the best...

24 Mar

Posted at 23:22h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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It’s because of uncertain times like this that we created our GIVE TO GRANT COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND many years ago. This Fund provides flexible financial support to trusted nonprofit partners across Grant County who are responding to critical needs. The Fund also allows the Community Foundation Board to be nimble in their response to addressing our community’s most pressing and emerging needs, specifically with organizations working with our most vulnerable citizens. We need to recognize that our social service organizations have direct knowledge of these everchanging critical issues, while also maintaining strong relationships with the citizens they serve. Therefore, with respect to this on-the-ground understanding of the ramifications of COVID-19, we will rely on our trusted nonprofit partners to communicate to us the best way we can be of help. As needs are communicated, it will be of utmost importance for us to provide funding to these organizations rapidly. To expedite our regular granting procedures in this evolving situation, our Board of Directors has chosen to distribute awards from the GIVE TO GRANT COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND utilizing a method called “rapid response grantmaking”. Read the full press release here. Our COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants will sustain and develop vital community services for...

29 May

Posted at 13:38h in Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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The Nonprofit Leadership Consortium was designed as a cohort experience in which all 30 participants gained leadership development training and earned their Certificate in Fundraising Management (CFRM) while building strong professional relationships with others in their field. The United Way of Grant County and the Community Foundation of Grant County were proud to underwrite the Consortium as funding partners and offer career-changing curriculum through IU’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Harris International. Participants examined leadership development and team building techniques while increasing their understanding of the total fundraising process through the principles and techniques taught in this program. This initiative proved firsthand the power of collaboration by bringing the Consortium directly to Grant County and to these professionals at a substantially reduced rate. Grant County is now armed with 30 trained fundraisers that know each other and are comfortable collaborating when new challenges or opportunities arise. The Consortium produced a professional network of like-minded individuals that are not only dedicated to ethical fundraising but also willing to support, encourage, and care for each other. Participants were united in the idea that they were attending the Consortium not for the sake of their organizations but for the sake of creating a thriving Grant...