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30 Nov

Posted at 18:17h in Community News, Featured Story
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The Community Foundation of Grant County announced recently that it is committed to building a bold new way to accelerate positive social outcomes through a local impact investing program as an extension of its community leadership efforts. The Foundation recognizes that its assets, over 90% of which are endowed, positions the organization to bring new tools, such as local impact investing, to address the needs and opportunities of Grant County. The purpose of the Impact Investing program is to make socially impactful loan investments that provide a financial return and measurably advance a prosperous Grant County via the social return on investment. The program will invest in people, projects, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that address economic prosperity, quality of life, and access to opportunity for residents of Grant County. “We believe that philanthropic capital can further the betterment of Grant County through grants as well as investments,” said Dawn Brown, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “More than any nonprofit organization, community foundations have the ability to deploy a diverse set of tools to address community needs, including grantmaking, donor engagement, and loan investments. As community foundations seek innovative ways to build community wealth and health, more are adopting impact investing...

17 Nov

Posted at 21:08h in Community News
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The Community Foundation of Grant County joins more than 1,000 other community foundations across America to mark Community Foundation Week, set this year for Nov. 12 to 18. Our goal in participating is to raise awareness about the role of philanthropy and to foster local collaborations and innovations to address persistent civic and economic challenges in our community. Launched Nov. 12, 1989, through a proclamation by former President George H.W. Bush, the first Community Foundation Week included a congressional briefing about the work of community foundations throughout the nation and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private and nonprofit sectors to address community challenges. The first community foundation was established in 1914 in Cleveland, Ohio. Community foundations in Indiana alone made more than $194 million in grants in 2020 and held more than $4.3 billion in assets. Your Community Foundation of Grant County manages more than $28.5 million in assets. Last year, it awarded $1.12 million in grants and scholarships. Former Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson once described the role of community foundations this way: “Community foundations in Indiana play a key role in identifying and solving problems across our state. Each foundation has an in-depth knowledge of local concerns,...

08 Nov

Posted at 20:38h in Community News, Featured Story
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A new alternative to payday lending in Grant County will provide financially vulnerable families with convenient, small-dollar, low-interest, flexible-term loans. This innovative hybrid loan program will provide families with immediate access to the cash they need to provide some much-needed financial stability while also helping them build a savings account for future financial security. The alternative payday lending program is made possible through a unique partnership between Afena Federal Credit Union and the Community Foundation of Grant County. The alternative payday lending program was designed to help financially under-resourced families in three ways: 1) By providing affordable financing to assist families in getting back on their feet once they return to work following the COVID-19 pandemic, 2) By helping financially under-resourced families build an emergency savings account, and 3) By helping income-vulnerable families improve their credit scores. We know that our professional lenders are working hard to serve the people of Grant County. And we know that there are times when they simply can’t approve a customer’s loan request due to credit issues, income limitations, and other challenges. For people who don’t qualify for traditional financing options, an unexpected expense can quickly spiral into a major problem. Which means if the refrigerator...

21 Sep

Posted at 20:33h in Community News, Featured Story
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On Friday, October 21st at 8AM, Professional Advisors are invited to join the Community Foundation of Grant County for a free breakfast and 3 hours of Continuing Education Credits with speaker, David Bennett, President Community Foundation Research and Training Institute. “Federal tax laws regarding charitable giving have changed dramatically in the last few years – and more changes are on the horizon," said David Bennett, President Community Foundation Research and Training Institute. “In this seminar, we will review recent changes in federal tax law, as well as tax-smart options for your clients. Topics to be covered include federal income and estate taxes, Qualified Charitable Distributions, tax implications of noncash gifts, gifts with income, and retained life estates.” “Philanthropy should be fun, it should be simple and flexible, it should offer tax benefits and professional management with public accountability and transparency," said Dawn Brown, President and CEO. “Which is what we offer to your clients. Some of the greatest opportunities to make charitable gifts arise when making major business, personal, and financial decisions. Let us help.” “Strong community foundations help build strong communities which is what we all want,” said Shelly Jones, Development Manager. “We know our Professional Advisors care about their clients and...

30 Aug

Posted at 17:49h in Community News, Grantmaking Impact
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(Marion, IN – August 26, 2022) The Community Foundation of Grant County is excited to announce both Habitat for Humanity of Grant County (Habitat) and City of Marion Parks and Recreation Department (the City of Marion) exceeded their crowdfunding campaign goals. The Community Foundation offers crowdfunding opportunities to Grant County organizations annually. Organizations apply for this opportunity during the annual Give to Grant Cycle in the spring. If a crowdfunding proposal is approved, organizations have 60 days to raise dollar-for-dollar what they requested in their proposal. Habitat exceeded its crowdfunding goal of $20,000 by raising $25,679 from community contributions. Combined with $20,000 in matching dollars from the Foundation this makes a total of $45,679 to support the construction of a new Habitat home in Grant County. The City of Marion exceeded its crowdfunding goal of $20,000 by raising $22,775 from community contributions. Combined with $20,000 in matching dollars from the Foundation this makes a total of $42,775 to fund the dredging and renovation of the Matter Park fishing pond. Together, in just two months, Grant County donors contributed $48,454 to these two crowdfunding campaigns. With matching dollars from the Foundation, this makes a total of $88,454 raised to support the betterment of Grant County...

22 Aug

Posted at 19:24h in Community News, Grantmaking Impact
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Indiana Wesleyan University and the Community Foundation of Grant County continue partnership to offer 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. “This is our third year offering this grant to our community. Two grants were awarded last year to two organizations doing incredible work, and I’m excited to see the proposals that come in this year,” said Meagan Mathias, Community Investment Manager of the Community Foundation. “Indiana Wesleyan has been a fantastic partner throughout this collaboration, and I’m pleased to continue to deepen this relationship.” Last year the committee awarded $50,000 to Carey Services to fund a foodservice pod in their new Training and Career Development Center. The committee also awarded $5,000 to Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana to fund workforce readiness-focused programs: JA Biztown, JA Finance Park. The Chair of the CAPE II Career Exploration Grant Committee consists of 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...

26 May

Posted at 19:10h in Community News, Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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(Grant County, IN) The Community Foundation of Grant County is excited to announce two crowdfunding campaign goals launched with Habitat for Humanity of Grant County (Habitat) and the City of Marion Parks and Recreation Department (Parks Department). The Parks Department launched their crowdfunding campaign on May 12th, Habitat launched theirs on May 23rd. Habitat aims to crowdfund $20,000 to support the construction of a new Habitat home in Grant County. The Parks Department aims to crowdfund $20,000 to fund the dredging and renovation of the Matter Park fishing pond. The Foundation will track all charitable contributions made by donors for each project. If the organizations meet their fundraising goals, the Foundation will award them a dollar-for-dollar matching grant to complete their projects for a total of $40,000 each. Any amount raised over these goals will also be awarded to the organizations. If either organization does not meet their goal by the deadline, they will not receive the matching grant. However, all donations raised will be awarded to the projects. The Parks Department's campaign will end July 11th at midnight, and Habitat's will end July 22nd at midnight. City of Marion Parks Department The City of Marion’s Parks Department was approved for a...

20 May

Posted at 15:46h in Community News, Grantmaking Impact
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The Community Foundation of Grant County is excited to announce the recipients of the Give to Grant Cycle as a part of the Give to Grant Collaborative. A total of $63,680 was awarded in grants to eight local organizations along with $40,000 to two Crowdfunding Campaigns for programs and projects supporting positive impact for the betterment of Grant County. The Foundation is home to a variety of 400+ charitable funds established by generous donors with a passion for supporting worthwhile charitable causes. The Give to Grant Collaborative uniquely consists of endowment funds that were established to provide support for general charitable purposes, identified as the most pressing needs and opportunities in the community. These grants were awarded at the discretion of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “The Give to Grant Collaborative simplifies charitable giving and philanthropic impact by combining generous donations with others to pool resources and generate something strong and impactful for the community,” says Meagan Mathias, Community Investment Manager. “Every year, the Foundation awards between $1-3 Million in grants to nonprofits, community entities, and college-bound students right here in Grant County. From swing sets and dog parks to gardens and special events, the Foundation funds a variety of causes that...

30 Mar

Posted at 16:33h in Community News, Grantmaking Impact
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Grant Station offers nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies the opportunity to identify potential funding sources for their programs or projects as well as resources to mentor these organizations through the grantseeking process. The Community Foundation has purchased this database subscription and would like to make it available to our local nonprofits. If you believe this database might help you find, build, write, and win grant opportunities to fund your programs and projects, we ask that you make a $25 donation to our Annual Operation's Fund and then we will forward you the login information. Email QuickQuestion@GiveToGrant.org for more information.  ...

02 Feb

Posted at 20:24h in Community News, Featured Story, Grantmaking Impact
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Every day at the Community Foundation of Grant County, individuals and families create lasting impact for the betterment of our community by ensuring their generosity will benefit generations to come through endowment. The cornerstone of this endeavor is a sound investment and spending policy that centers around sustainability. Throughout calendar year 2021, the Community Foundation saw an astounding investment return of 12.3%. Coupled with the generosity of our donors, that resulted in a total market value of $34.2 million in assets as of December 31, 2021. “To be sure, the dollar figures are impressive. But even that pales in comparison to the serious impact those dollars mean to the community,” Community Foundation Chief Financial Officer, Sherri Rush, said. “Every charitable organization with an endowment at the Community Foundation benefits from the sound guidance of the Foundation’s finance and investment committee, leading to more dollars for organizations serving Grant County.” For a charitable organization, an endowment at the Community Foundation is like having their own private granting fund, and the larger the fund, the larger the grant received every year. Since 1984, local charitable organizations have benefited from the hard work of building these endowments, resulting in nearly $14.5 million distributed by their endowments...