Community Foundation Announces Grant Deadlines

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation has announced that letters of intent for the next competitive grant cycle are due Monday, July 8. All potential grant applicants are required to submit a letter of intent no less than sixty (60) days prior to the grant application deadline. The next competitive grant application deadline is Friday, September 6 for review at the November board of trustees meeting. Grant proposals are reviewed four times a year by the Community Foundation board of trustees.

The letter of intent requirement allows for earlier and more useful dialog between the foundation’s program officers and grantseekers. Experience has shown that grantseekers who involve the Community Foundation’s program officers early in the process are able to create more viable grant requests.  Additionally, this procedure helps ensure that potential grant ideas adhere to eligibility guidelines before a full proposal is written.

Once the letter of intent is received, the Community Foundation staff will review the proposed project to ensure that minimum benchmarks are met.

The Community Foundation issues grants to tax-exempt, private agencies classified as 501(c)(3) organizations, public charities as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. Grants may also be made to governmental agencies. The programs considered for support must be located in Greater Hancock County or provide a service that will directly benefit the residents of Hancock County.

Creative programs designed to meet community needs, to address public policy priorities, or to test new ideas will be considered. Successful applications typically address problems to be solved or opportunities to be seized in the Hancock County area. The Community Foundation invites proposals that:

• suggest practical approaches to community problems;
• promote cooperation among agencies without duplicating services;
• generate community support, both professional and volunteer;
• demonstrate the organization’s ability to secure realistic funding;
• strengthen an agency’s effectiveness or stability; and
• address prevention as well as remediation.

Additional information and application forms for these and other grant programs are available at www.community-foundation.com. If you have questions regarding Community Foundation grants or deadlines please contact Julie Brown or Kimberly Bash at 419-425-1100.

Community Foundation Awards Over $276,000 in Grants

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $276,565 at the May board meeting. This total includes five competitive grants totaling $265,000; four Hancock Education Fund grants totaling $8,065; and two president’s discretionary grants totaling $3,500.

This second round of grants brings the Community Foundation’s 2013 grant total to more than $1.1 million.

COMPETITIVE GRANTS
Competitive grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that seek to meet community needs and match the goals, objectives, and priorities of the Community Foundation. Grantseekers must submit a written grant proposal for consideration. Applications are reviewed four times per year.

Funding for competitive grants comes from unrestricted and field of interest funds established by donors at the Community Foundation. Unrestricted funds allow the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees to direct the funds where they are most needed. Field of interest funds are granted in the donor’s chosen area of interest, such as health, education, or the arts.

The following competitive grants totaling $265,000 were approved by the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees at its May meeting.

Cancer Patient Services was awarded a three-year grant totaling $84,000 to implement an endowment and visibility campaign that will build agency awareness and increase agency financial and human resources.

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library was awarded a one-year grant totaling up to $31,000 to partially support the 2014 CommunityREAD program.

Findlay Hope House for the Homeless was awarded a six-month grant totaling $10,000 to support the Hope House board in funding a leadership transition consultant.

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation was awarded a six-month grant totaling $10,000 to create a video to capture and visually share the living history of the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation through the voices of key individuals who were active at the founding stages of the Community Foundation.

Hancock Properties Foundation was awarded a one-year grant totaling up to $130,000 to install a diesel-powered back-up generator at the Family Center.

HANCOCK EDUCATION FUND GRANTS
The Hancock Education Fund provides grant dollars to promote classroom learning and to provide teachers with resources that encourage learning activities. Grantseekers are asked to focus on “21st Century Learning” skills which include cultural awareness and diversity, creative thinking, technological savvy, and interpersonal communication skills. Education experts believe these are the skills necessary to prepare our students for success in a global economy.

An advisory committee comprised of members from the Community Foundation, Findlay Rotary and Findlay Rotary’s Golden Apple Teachers meets semi-annually to review grant proposals. The following four grants totaling $8,065 were awarded by the Hancock Education Fund Committee and approved by the Community Foundation Board of Trustees.

Arlington Local School was awarded a grant of $3,000 to utilize an individualized web-based program to boost math skills in elementary students.

Findlay City Schools were awarded a grant of $1,225 to provide support to build perseverance skills in students and new teachers in Hancock County.

Findlay City Schools were awarded a grant of $1,840 to support the expansion of the Swapping Stories intergenerational project in order to develop creative storytelling techniques and promote understanding between generations.

Findlay City Schools were awarded a grant of $2,000 to provide support to use magic tricks to teach students a variety of cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills.

PRESIDENT’S DISCRETIONARY GRANTS

• The Arts Partnership was awarded a six-month grant totaling $2,500 to partially support the Courtyard Concert Series.
• St. Michael the Archangel was awarded a six-month grant totaling $1,000 to support the Backyard Mission Trip.

Handbags That Help Implements Changes to Grantmaking Process

Handbags That Help (HTH), a local women’s giving circle, is implementing changes to improve the grantmaking process for both grantseekers and its members.

Several changes are being implemented to the grantmaking process that will be effective immediately. In the past, HTH members would annually take part in an Interest Inventory survey which helped to determine what funding priorities were important to the membership. The results of this survey helped the grants committee set grant priorities for the coming year. Since inception six years ago, the grant priority has remained the same, to build strong families. The first proposed change is to have a long-term focus on building strong families which will allow nonprofits to plan ahead.

All potential grant applicants will now be required to submit a Letter of Intent due the first Friday in August. The information provided is for the letter of intent committee to review only and will not be used in the final grant review. The committee will review the proposed project as described in the Letter of Intent. If minimum benchmarks are met, the committee will contact the grant applicant to request submission of a full grant application due the first Friday in December.

The Letter of Intent will need to include the following:

• Introduction to the agency;
• Description of community need and how it fits in the focus of building strong families;
• Statement of project’s goals and objectives;
• Expected outcomes of project;
• Statement of project approach;
• Projected timing of grant request;
• Estimate of total cost and amount of the HTH request; and
• Proposed funding partners and collaborators.

Proposed changes will take effect immediately.  The letters of intent for that grant cycle are due August 2, 2013. If the letter of intent is approved, a full grant proposal would be due on December 6, 2013.  A final funding decision from the membership of HTH will be received on April 9, 2013.

Handbags That Help was formed in 2007 by a group of women committed to dramatically improving lives throughout the greater Hancock County community by collectively funding significant grants to charitable projects. The giving circle is open to all area women. Each year, every dollar generated by HTH memberships is passed directly on to the community through grants voted on by the members. A $500 annual donation gives each member a single vote as to how the pooled funds will be awarded that year; group memberships of 2-5 women are also available. This year, 151 local women were members of HTH, totaling 85 memberships.

The women’s giving circle is supported by the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. HTH is currently accepting memberships for 2013-2014. To join or for more information regarding HTH, please contact the Community Foundation at 419-425-1100 or visit their website at www.community-foundation.com.

Giving Circle Awards $34,715 in Grants

Handbags That Help (HTH), a local women’s giving circle, held their annual Celebration Meeting on Wednesday, April 10 at the Findlay Country Club. Program speaker included Laura MacDonald, president and founder of the Benefactor Group.

As part of the event, HTH awarded $34,715 in grants to five local agencies. HTH members voted at their March meeting and selected the American Red Cross of Hancock County, Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County, Hancock County Saves, Owens Community College Foundation and Read for L.I.F.E. to receive grant funds. The American Red Cross of Hancock County received a grant of $15,000 to support their Armed Forces Family Network program. Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County received a grant of $3,640 to support their Habitat Homeowner Education project. Hancock County Saves received a grant of $1,700 to support their Small Steps to Health and Wealth program. Owens Community College Foundation received a grant of $10,000 to support their Education for an Encore program. Read for L.I.F.E. received a grant of $4,375 to support their Life Skills Literacy project.

In only six years, Handbags that Help has granted $262,100 to support the following 15 local nonprofit organizations: Hancock Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Habitat for Humanity, Camp Fire, Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services, Hancock Christian Clearing House, Caughman Health Center, Findlay Hope House for the Homeless, Findlay YMCA, Family Resource Center, Cancer Patient Services, American Red Cross of Hancock County, Owens Community College Foundation, Read for L.I.F.E., Hancock County Saves, and Century Health.

Handbags That Help was formed in 2007 by a group of women committed to dramatically improving lives throughout the greater Hancock County community by collectively funding significant grants to charitable projects. The giving circle is open to all area women. Each year, every dollar generated by HTH memberships is passed directly on to the community through grants voted on by the members. A $500 annual donation gives each member a single vote as to how the pooled funds will be awarded that year; group memberships of 2-5 women are also available. This year, 151 local women were members of HTH, totaling 85 memberships.

The women’s giving circle is supported by the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. HTH is currently accepting memberships for 2013-2014. To join or for more information regarding HTH please contact the Community Foundation at 419-425-1100 or visit their website at www.community-foundation.com.

Community Foundation Brings Grant Database to Findlay

The Community Foundation, in coordination with the United Way of Hancock County and the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, has partially funded another one-year subscription to Foundation Directory Online (FDO), a searchable, user-friendly database of nationwide grant opportunities. The database is available at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library. Access is free and open to the public. Reference desk staff will provide the required password to access FDO on a library computer and any support users may need.

“Having FDO available in Findlay is an especially valuable resource for our community, with the potential to help bring in additional funding for local organizations and programs. Previously, the closest access points for this database were in Lima and Toledo,” said Community Foundation President, Kathy Kreuchauf.

The FDO database is updated continually and provides the most accurate details available on over 100,000 foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities in the U.S.: a database of over 4,000 sponsoring companies, offering a quick pathway to corporate funders; a database of over 3 million recently awarded grants, and a keyword-searchable database of over 1 million recently filed IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF.

The online database is maintained by the Foundation Center, a national nonprofit service organization recognized as the nation’s leading authority on organized philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants.

The Community Foundation Board of Trustees funded FDO through a president’s discretionary grant.

Community Foundation Awards Over $678,000 in Grants

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $678,409 at the February board meeting. This total includes seven competitive grants totaling $336,140; six president’s discretionary grants totaling $8,450; 59 designated grants totaling $230,398; and four donor-advised grants totaling $103,421.

The board also ratified the following grants from 2012: 61 donor-advised grants totaling $186,363 and two designated grants totaling $3,012.

COMPETITIVE GRANTS
Competitive grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that seek to meet community needs and match the goals, objectives, and priorities of the Community Foundation. Grantseekers must submit a written grant proposal for consideration. Applications are reviewed four times per year.

Funding for competitive grants comes from common good and field of interest funds established by donors at the Community Foundation. Common good funds allow the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees to direct the funds where they are most needed. Field of interest funds are granted in the donor’s chosen area of interest, such as health, education, or the arts.

The following seven competitive grants totaling $336,140 were approved by the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees at their February meeting.

The Findlay-Hancock County Alliance Foundation was awarded a two-year grant totaling $85,500 to establish a certified downtown Findlay Main Street Program coordinated by a full-time person who will also serve as a liaison for organized downtown efforts between the Alliance, Findlay Development LLC, Downtown Findlay Improvement District, Hancock Regional Planning Commission, business owners, property owners, Fire Prevention Task Force, Celebrate Central Committee, flood mitigation efforts, the City of Findlay, Hancock County, and other business partners. The Ohio Main Street Program, administered by Heritage Ohio, works with communities across the state to revitalize their historic or traditional commercial areas. The Main Street program is designed to improve all aspects of the downtown or central business district, producing both tangible and intangible benefits.

Flag City Honor Flight was awarded a two-year grant totaling up to $85,350 to build long-term sustainability for a program that is quickly becoming viewed as a jewel of the local community. A portion of the grant ($20,000) will be used to support the current costs of sending 20 Hancock County veterans to fly on Honor Flight 2013 and 2014. The remaining ($65,350) will be used to allow a fundraising professional to work with Flag City Honor Flight for two years with a goal of creating an endowed fund at the Community Foundation to support all future honor flights.

Habitat for Humanity was awarded a three-year grant totaling $64,473 to partially support the start-up costs for staffing to develop a Critical Repair Program for Hancock County. A Critical Repair Program will offer a variety of home repairs and modifications with a priority placed on home repairs that address safety, health, energy efficiency and accessibility issues.  Priority families served will include veterans, seniors, single parents and disabled homeowners. The main objective of the program is to help eliminate poverty housing in Hancock County and revitalize neighborhoods and our community.

Blanchard Valley Health System was awarded a two-year grant totaling $52,817 to implement their Disarming Diabetes program. Disarming Diabetes is a comprehensive, evidence-based program that will address the needs of low-income Hancock County residents struggling with diabetes by removing barriers to appropriate care and engage patients in self-management of their condition. This program will be coordinated through Blanchard Valley Health System’s nurse care navigator program in partnership with Ohio State University Extension and the YMCA. The program will run in three six-month program sessions.  Each six-month session will have three months of educational classes.  Class topics will cover disease process, physiology nutrition, budgeting, pharmacology, and grocery shopping.

American Red Cross of Hancock County, Camp Fire USA Northwest Ohio Council, and Century Health, Inc., all graduates of Schneider Circle I, were awarded a grant to participate in a three-year strategic planning and business management consulting process with Six Disciplines.

• American Red Cross of Hancock County, $12,500
• Camp Fire USA Northwest Ohio Council, $12,500
• Century Health, Inc., $23,000

PRESIDENT’S DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
Discretionary grants fund urgent or special requests that are outside of the Community Foundation’s various grant cycles. The President of the Community Foundation is allocated an amount each year. Usually these grants do not exceed $2,500, and are typically smaller in size. The following discretionary grants totaling $8,450 were approved by the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

• Artful EDUtainment was awarded a four-month grant totaling $500 to support Evening of Expression 2013.
• The Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development was awarded a one-year grant totaling $2,500 to support the Institute for Coalition Building workshop.
• The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library was awarded a one-year grant totaling $750 to support the Foundation Directory Online.
• Gliding Stars of Findlay was awarded a six-month grant totaling $1,000 to create a short documentary.
• Hancock Leadership ’13 was awarded a six-month grant totaling $2,500 to partially support the class design and construction of a pavilion at Camp Berry Boy Scout Camp.
• Hancock Parks Foundation was awarded a one-year grant totaling $1,200 to provide free Riverside Park Summer Concerts to over 5,700 Hancock County residents.

AGENCY & DESIGNATED GRANTS
Designated grants are awarded from charitable funds established to support a specific nonprofit organization. Fund establishers may have specified how those funds were to be used by the organization, or funds may be awarded for general support. Fifty-nine designated grants totaling $230,398 were approved by the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

DONOR-ADVISED GRANTS– 4 grants totaling $103,421

• Mazza Enthusiasts, University of Findlay, general support, $24,999
• Blanchard Valley Health Foundation, free mammogram program for low to middle income men and women with or without insurance through HCMSI, $3,172
• Cancer Patient Services, Patient Navigator Program, $75,000
• Findlay High School Athletic Department, support for the Findlay High School swim team, $250

Several Community Foundation Grant Deadlines Approaching

The Findlay-Hancock County Community has announced several upcoming grant deadlines.

HANCOCK EDUCATION FUND GRANTS
Applications for the Hancock Education Fund grant program are due Friday, March 1. The Hancock Education Fund is a cooperative grant program established in 2001 between the Community Foundation, Findlay Rotary, and Findlay Rotary’s Golden Apple Teachers. The fund provides grant dollars to promote classroom learning and to provide Hancock County teachers with resources that encourage learning activities. Grantseekers are asked to focus on “21st Century Learning” skills such as cultural awareness and diversity, creative thinking, technological savvy, and interpersonal communication skills. Education experts believe these are the skills necessary to prepare our students for success in a global economy.

HANCOCK READS GRANTS
Applications for the HancockREADS grant program are due Friday, April 5. HancockREADS, founded in 2001, is an initiative of the Community Foundation designed to ensure that individuals and families in Hancock County enjoy the benefits of literacy. Many individuals in Hancock County have difficulty reading, writing, or using basic math skills necessary in everyday life. The mission of HancockREADS is to ensure that these individuals can find the help they need to become successful, and to ensure the current and future success of our children.

COMPETITIVE GRANTS
Letters of intent for the next competitive grant cycle are due Friday, April 5. If approved, full proposals will be due Friday, June 7. Board decisions for this grant cycle will be made in September. Competitive grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that seek to meet community needs and match the goals, objectives, and priorities of the Community Foundation. Grantseekers must submit a written grant proposal for consideration. Competitive grant applications are reviewed four times per year. Additional information and application forms for these and other grant programs are available at www.community-foundation.com. If you have questions regarding Community Foundation grants or deadlines, please contact Julie Brown or Kimberly Bash at 419-425-1100.

Schneider Circle II Participants Announced

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation is proud to announce the twelve local nonprofit agencies that have been selected to participate in Schneider Circle II: Associated Charities, Children’s Mentoring Connection, Hancock Saves, Habitat for Humanity, Hancock Historical Museum, Humane Society & SPCA for Hancock County, NAMI of Hancock County, Read for Life, Special Kids Therapy, United Way of Hancock County, West Ohio Food Bank, and Findlay Family YMCA.

The participating agencies were selected based on the following criteria: nonprofit agencies currently providing services to Hancock County residents; willingness to collaborate with other agencies to address community issues; current strength of the organization (programming, governance, staff leadership, financing, administrative, staffing, and marketing); and willingness to embrace organizational change and growth.

Desired outcomes of the Schneider Circle are:  improved communication and collaboration among nonprofit organizations, strengthened executive leaders and governing bodies, and increased knowledge about and implementation of nonprofit governance and organizational effectiveness.

The Schneider Circle is a two year commitment.  Participating agencies will be able to access local trainings provided by regional experts in the following areas:  monthly nonprofit leadership forum, quarterly fundraising coaching, effective meeting management training, and leadership transition planning.

Katherine Kreuchauf, Foundation president, shared, “The selected agencies have a demonstrated record of excellence and the potential to continue to significantly improve the quality of life in Hancock County.  Through the Schneider Circle, the Foundation seeks to support nonprofits to become self-sufficient entities always ready to meet community needs.”

In December of 2012, the first cohort of Schneider Circle agencies graduated after completing the two year program. The first cohort included: Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter, American Red Cross Hancock County Chapter, Camp Fire USA Northwest Ohio Council, Cancer Patient Services, Century Health, CHOPIN Hall, Findlay Hope House for the Homeless, Hancock Christian Clearing House, Hancock County Agency on Aging, Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center, The Arts Partnership, and Youth for Christ.

This important initiative is being supported by the Madeleine Thomas Schneider Fund.  Madeleine Thomas Schneider, daughter of Findlay, lived her life with a gracious spirit.  Throughout her life, Schneider was a model of integrity, service and generosity.  Upon her death, she left the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation an endowed gift totaling $25 million.  Through her final gifts, Schneider continues to touch the lives of many of our neighbors as her fund is used to support local nonprofit agencies to become self-sufficient entities able to meet critical community needs.

Questions regarding the Schneider Circle should be directed to Julie Brown, Program Officer, 419-425-1100 or jbrown@community-foundation.com.

Foundation Scholarships Available Online

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation has an extensive scholarship program for area seniors. The online scholarship application and instructions will be available on the Foundation’s website beginning February 6, 2013. The initial application must be completed online by March 27, 2013.

The Foundation currently has more than 100 scholarships that are available to current graduating seniors and current college students. Information about each scholarship and the standards for determining eligibility of students can be found through the Foundation’s website. Students have the opportunity to start an application, save it and finish it at a later time but the application must be completed by March 27.  The student will only need to submit one application to be considered for online scholarships at the Community Foundation. No paper applications will be accepted through this process.

Visit www.community-foundation.com to apply or learn more about the scholarships available at the Community Foundation. For more information or questions, contact Shelly Joseph at 419-425-1100.

The Community Foundation Announces Charitable Gift Annuity Program

Everyone wants financial security. What if your investment could provide a guaranteed return and deliver peace of mind while benefiting a worthy cause? Through a Charitable Gift Annuity at the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, you can receive guaranteed income while improving the quality of life in Hancock County.

The Charitable Gift Annuity program will help support the financial futures of the Community Foundation and other Hancock County area nonprofits. A Charitable Gift Annuity is a gift planning technique that allows a donor to make a generous gift to the Community Foundation or a charity of the donor’s choice, while receiving a fixed income stream for life. Charitable gift annuities qualify for immediate tax benefits, as allowed by law.  It offers donors a chance to make significant gifts during their lifetime, while preserving the right to lifetime income.

The minimum amount required to fund a first-time Charitable Gift Annuity is $10,000. Subsequent gifts can be made in increments of $5,000.  Charitable Gift Annuities may be immediate or deferred.  All Charitable Gift Annuities will result in a permanent fund at the Community Foundation for the benefit of the Community Foundation or a charity of the individual’s choice.  At certain minimum giving levels, there are fund naming opportunities.

“More and more donors today are looking for a way to give back to their community, while assuring they can care for themselves and their family members during these challenging economic times,” said Tracy McMath, Development and Planned Giving Officer at the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. “This type of gift allows these two important things to happen in concert with one another.”

For more information and ideas on ways to integrate your charitable giving with your financial planning, contact Tracy McMath at 419-425-1100.