SIDNEY — The Community Foundation of Shelby County Board of Trustees recently awarded nearly $22,550 to several local organizations from its community granting funds.
Grants are awarded in a competitive process and based upon proposals submitted by not-for-profit organizations. Most grants were supported by the newly named Community Impact Fund, formerly known as the Founders Fund.
“We tossed around a name change for the fund for a number of years because we thought residents didn’t feel connected to the fund, that it was only for our ‘founders,’” said Marian Spicer, executive director. ‘The Community Impact Fund is our community’s granting fund and welcomes all who want to be part of the good, enriching work it does.”
Among grants awarded from the Community Impact Fund, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Shelby and Darke Counties received $2,000 for life skills curriculum to be added to the Big Buddies afterschool program. Clear Creek Farm was awarded $2,500 for a passenger van.
Compassionate Care of Shelby County received a combined grant of $3,000 from the Community Impact and Shelby County Medical Services funds to purchase a vital-signs monitor with a mobile stand and two blood pressure cuffs. A combined grant from the Community Impact and the Roscoe Beanblossom funds is providing $1,000 to the Gateway Arts Council to support YES! (Youth Education Series) in Schools events for second and fifth grade students throughout the county.
The Community Impact Fund will provide a $1,235 grant to GIVE Medical Ministry for bariatric bathroom safety equipment, a $1,000 grant to Kids Read Now for support of the summer reading program at Sidney’s Longfellow Elementary, and $559 to New Choices to replace existing wooden bed frames with pest-resistant metal frames.
Other grants include $5,000 to Random Acts of Christian Kindness (RACK) to support assistance given to needy families and $2,000 to support the Shelby County Historical Society’s Pioneer Day for fourth-graders and Civil War Day for eighth-graders from throughout the county. The Sidney Civic Band will receive $3,000 to replace the performance platforms used during outdoor concerts. The Sidney-Shelby County Health Dept. will use a $740 grant to purchase combination car seats for needy families and the Women’s Center-Sidney will receive $515 for boutique improvements.
The next deadline to apply for the Foundation’s Community Grants is Feb. 1, 2016. The Community Foundation of Shelby County administers more than 140 charitable funds established by local residents and organizations and that benefit a wide range of charitable purposes. To make a gift to the Community Impact Fund that will increase available grant dollars, call 497-7800 or visit www.commfoun.com.
