Community Foundation Update (02/13/2021)
Arizona
The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona in Tucson has announced that its Center for Healthy Nonprofits is offering a nine-session "Survival Series" for newer nonprofit executive directors and CEOs. Hosted by veteran nonprofit CEOs Patti Caldwell and Paula Van Ness, the series is designed to impart practical information to nonprofit officials and help them succeed in their new roles and will consist of nine two-hour sessions, including a one-on-one coaching session.
California
The Elaine F. Stepanek Foundation Restaurant Fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation has established a program aimed at providing relief to small, independently owned dine-in restaurants impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Small businesses in Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley are eligible to apply for grants of up to $10,000. The deadline to apply is February 22.
Illinois
The Community Foundation of Central Illinois in Peoria has announced the appointment of Kristina Rockhold as its director of communications. Rockhold previously served as a legislative aide and campaign assistant to a former Illinois state representative and as communications coordinator at Illinois Central College.
Iowa
A grant of $100,000 from the Iowa West Foundation-Pottawattamie County Community Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund has enabled New Visions Homeless Services to open a warming center, the Daily Nonpareil reports. In addition to the warming center, which serves homeless individuals in Council Bluffs regardless of whether they are staying in the organization's shelter, the grant also helped New Visions purchase a van to transport people to the center.
Massachusetts
The SouthCoast Community Foundation in New Bedford has announced that it will continue to fundraise for and issue grants on a rolling basis from its SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund, which was established in March to assist vulnerable communities and regional nonprofits impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. At the beginning of 2021, the foundation received new commitments for the fund totaling nearly $1.5 million, enabling it to mobilize and sustain relief efforts for the foreseeable future. In 2020, the fund received $6 million from a range of government, foundation, corporate, and individual donors and distributed $5.4 million in a range of areas, including basic needs ($1,516,421), food security ($1,431,889), remote work/learning ($1,134,210), housing ($1,032,000), hazard pay/personal protective equipment ($300,000), public health ($225,000), mental health ($120,000), and summer programming ($55,000).
Michigan
The Kalamazoo Community Foundation has announced the appointment of Lina Mwema as its finance coordinator in grantmaking.
New York
The Central New York Community Foundation in Syracuse has announced a $10 million bequest from Robert J. Vitkus, an oral surgeon who passed away in 2020 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, in support of outdoor parks and recreational areas. The Dr. Robert J. Vitkus Fundwill focus its funding on programs that involve youth, hunting and fishing, or conservation efforts aimed at improving wildlife habitat and forest health. The field-of-interest fund adds to the amount of dollars available through the Community Foundation's bi-annual Community Grant program, which supports nonprofit programs, capital projects, and organizational development efforts in Onondaga and Madison counties.
The New York Community Trust has announced grants totaling $8.1 million in support of forty-three local nonprofits. Grant recipients include ArtsConnection, Bridges from School to Work, City Harvest, and the New York Women's Foundation.
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Foundation is accepting applications from health and human service organizations through its North Smithfield Ambulance and Rescue Association Fund. Preference will be given to organizations that do not have access to other sources of funding. Applicants can be located outside North Smithfield as long as the services they deliver benefit residents of the town. The deadline to apply is March 19.
Washington
The Seattle Foundation has announced a restructured Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Pool, to be managed by OpenInvest, that aligns with the three pillars of the foundation's Blueprint for Impact: a just democracy, an equitable economy, and a more resilient environment. To that end, the SRI Pool will invest in racial justice initiatives and support divestment from the prison industrial complex and fossil fuels. According to the foundation, the SRI Pool previously available to philanthropists was a mix of ESG (environmental, social, governance) drivers with less clear-cut investment goals.
