Community Foundation Update (10/03/20)

California

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has announced the election of CEO Nicole Taylor and Facebook CFO Dave Wehner as co-chairs of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a nonprofit that provides analysis of and recommendations for action on issues affecting the region's economy and quality of life.

Colorado

The Community First Foundation in Arvada has announced a grant of $50,000 to the Black Resilience in Colorado (BRIC) Fund, which was established by the Denver Foundation to address systemic racism and its impact on African-American communities across the seven-county metro Denver region. Since June, BRIC has raised more than $1 million in support of nonprofits focused on addressing racial inequities that have been exacerbated by the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Later this month, the fund will begin awarding grants to help organizations build resilience and advance their long-term sustainability.

Florida

The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties has announced that CEO Brad Hurlburt and board chair Julie Fisher-Cummings have been appointed to West Palm Beach's Racial and Ethnic Equality Task Force.

Louisiana

The Greater New Orleans Foundation has announced a $1.4 million bequest from Isidore Cohn and his late wife, Marianne. Announced on what would have been Isidore Cohn's ninety-ninth birthday, the gift will support annual awards through the newly established Cohn | GNOF | NOLA | Arts Awards Program to local nonprofits and artists whose work challenges and inspires the community, as well as a special award for an individual artist or group whose work in the visual arts, performing arts, or music exemplifies how the arts can challenge, inspire, and enrich us.

Minnesota

In response to the killing of George Floyd in May, the Minneapolis Foundation has announced grants totaling $513,907 from its Fund for Safe Communities in support of forty community-based groups using a range of approaches and strategies to serve Twin Cities residents. With a focus on organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color, the grants will support efforts aimed at preventing further violence, addressing systemic inequities, and healing individuals and families and individuals impacted by the aftermath of Floyd's death. Grant recipients include Black Table Arts, the Conflict Resolution Center, the Heart of America Foundation, and Minnesota Women's Press.

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has named Portsmouth photographer Carl Austin Hyatt as the winner of the 2020 Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Award. Hyatt will use the $25,000 award to produce large-format black-and-white photographs of some of the hundreds of stones he has collected during his decades of travel. Runners-up Shaina Gates and Jocelyn Toffic will receive $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

New Jersey

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation in Hackensack has announced a second round of grants totaling $323,000 from its COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund. Grant recipients include Art in Motion, Main Street Counseling Service, Hoboken Family Alliance, and the Paterson Task Force for Community Action.

The Community Foundation of South Jersey in Haddonfield has announced that three former governing board members, Melinda K. Holman, Jack Tarditi, and Rob Kugler, have been named emeritus members of the board. All three were instrumental in establishing CFSJ in 2007.

Ohio

The Upper Arlington Community Foundation has announced a bequest of at least $1.2 million from longtime supporter Susan Knell, who died in November 2019. The unrestricted gift, the largest in the foundation's history, includes $400,000 it received in December and $800,000 earlier this year, with additional funds from Knell's estate expected in the coming months. In her will, Knell also entrusted the Upper Arlington Historical Society with memorabilia collected over her family's more than one hundred-plus years in the community, including photographs, maps, and documents that will be preserved in the organization's archives as the Susan Grace Knell Collection.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma City Community Foundation has announced scholarships totaling $875,500 to nearly three hundred Oklahoma County high school graduates. In total, the foundation awarded $2.5 million in scholarships this year to almost eight hundred students across the state.

Wisconsin

The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation has announced the launch of a community-wide effort to end homelessness. In partnership with the Brown County United Way, the City of Green Bay, Brown County, and the Brown County Homeless and Housing Coalition, the foundation will work to leverage local and national resources to end homelessness in the county and will underwrite the work with a grant from its Basic Needs Giving Partnership. The Corporation for Supportive Housing, a national nonprofit that has led the movement to advance supportive housing solutions and tackle the issue of homelessness, will facilitate the effort.