Community Foundation Awards More than $300,000 to Local Nonprofits
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Pictured from Left to Right: Kent Embree (Community Foundation Program Officer), Pat Benson (Community Foundation Board Chair, Jared Niemeyer (Special Olympics Missouri Athlete and Former Board Member), Brenda Niemeyer (Special Olympics Missouri Representative), and Catherine Meckes (Community Foundation CEO).
Local nonprofits received a total of $305,881.67 in grant funding from the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri today at an awards presentation at The Salvation Army Kroc Center in Quincy.
Supported by 70 permanent endowment funds, these grants will make a lasting difference for nonprofit organizations serving our region in the areas of arts and culture, community improvement, education, health, and human services. Funding will assist with program delivery, the purchase of vital equipment and supplies, and the everyday operational needs that keep these organizations running strong.
“We are really pleased to be able to offer additional funding to the Community Grant Program this year thanks to the generosity of our donors,” said Kent Embree, Program Officer. “This generosity has enabled us to exceed $300,000 in support to nonprofits, every dollar of which will be put to work to improve our communities. The Community Grant program is our longest-running program and we continue to advance it with the help of our dedicated volunteers to do our best to meet the needs of our applicants. Our goal is that the program not only helps our nonprofit community financially, but also provides them knowledge and resources to pursue grants from other funding sources.”
The Community Foundation’s Community Grant program is designed to support and strengthen nonprofit efforts that improve quality of life across our 12-county region. Each year, the Community Foundation invites nonprofit organizations to apply for funding, and a dedicated committee of regional volunteers reviews the applications to determine grant awards based on funds available.
These grants are made possible by the power of endowment. Generous donors partner with the Community Foundation to create permanent charitable funds that reflect their philanthropic goals and respond to local needs. Some funds are unrestricted while others are for a specific cause or community. The Community Foundation invests and grows these funds, and each year a portion of the fund’s earnings are distributed as grants, while the principal remains intact.
“Nonprofits bring ideas to life and meet real needs in our communities,” said Catherine Bocke Meckes, Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation. “We are humbled for the opportunity to connect resources to these opportunities. Because of our generous endowment donors, we’re able to invest in that important work not just today, but every year moving forward. That kind of long-term impact is limitless.”
The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri is an endowment builder, community connector, and grant maker. Together with its donors, the Community Foundation improves the quality of life in the communities it serves by growing permanent charitable resources and fostering collaborative philanthropy.
Since its founding in 1997, the Community Foundation has distributed more than $20 million in grants from 250 funds to advance arts and culture, community betterment, education, health, and human services. For more information, call 217-222-1237, email [email protected] or go to mycommunityfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/mycommunityfoundation.
