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 2. 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 6. 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 6. If approved, full proposals will be due Friday, June 1. 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.

Effective this year, the Community Foundation made changes to the competitive grant application process. Two meetings were held late last year for local nonprofit organizations that may be interested in applying for a competitive grant. All documents and forms have been updated on the Community Foundation’s website to reflect these changes. 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.

Tickets to see “Still Alice” Author Available Now

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation has announced that tickets are now available to hear Lisa Genova, author of the best-selling novel Still Alice. Genova will be in Findlay on Friday, March 2, 2012 as part of the tenth annual CommunityREAD event. Genova will speak at Central Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. that evening and will be available to sign books after the program.

Tickets for this event are $5 each and can be purchased in person, by mail or by phone at the Arts Partnership box office, 618 S. Main Street, and at The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, 101 W. Sandusky Street, Suite 207. Tickets are also available at DorAnne’s Gift & Gourmet, Friends of the Library Book Cellar, George House Coffee & Tea, Mazza Museum, Mother Hubbard’s Learning Cupboard, Readmore’s Hallmark, and Common Grounds Coffeehouse & Cafe (Bluffton).  Tickets will also be available at the door.

The focus of this year’s CommunityREAD event is to encourage discussions regarding Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on relationships and careers. Certainly Alzheimer’s brings conflict and suffering. But Still Alice, in the end, is about a woman who is more than just her disease. She is still Alice. The CommunityREAD event also highlights the HancockREADS mission to promote the benefits of literacy in Hancock County.

Many activities are planned for CommunityREAD.  Members of the Hancock County community and surrounding communities are invited to participate in all CommunityREAD events during February and March.  Details of book discussion groups and other events are available online at www.community-foundation.com.

For more information about CommunityREAD please visit www.community-foundation.com or call Lisa Houck at 419-425-1100.

About “Still Alice”
Still Alice is a compelling debut novel, written by author Lisa Genova, about a 50-year-old woman’s sudden descent into early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Alice is a psychology professor at Harvard when she starts experiencing moments of forgetting and confusion. She at first attributes these signs to normal aging, too much stress, not enough sleep, and so on. But as things get worse, she eventually sees a neurologist and learns that she has early-onset Alzheimer’s. As Alice loses her ability to rely on her own thoughts and memories and as she loses her cerebral life at Harvard where she’d placed all her worth and identity, she is forced to answer questions like “Who am I now?” and “How do I matter?” As the disease worsens and continues to steal pieces of what she’d always thought of as herself, we see her discover that she is more than what she can remember.

Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She is the author of the New York Times best-selling novels Still Alice and Left Neglected. Lisa is currently writing her third novel, Love Anthony, about a boy with autism. She lives with her family on Cape Cod.

Community Foundation Awards $28,795 in Grants

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $28,795 at the January board meeting. This total includes one competitive grant totaling $19,000 and seven president’s discretionary grants totaling $9,795.

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 grant totaling $19,000 was approved by the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees at their January meeting.

Hancock Christian Clearing House
Hancock Christian Clearing House was awarded a one-year grant totaling $19,000 to support an in depth strategic planning process.

PRESIDENT’S DISCRETIONARY GRANTS

• Artful EDUtainment was awarded a one-year grant totaling $500 to provide support for its Evening of Expression event that was held on January 25, 2012.
• Camp Fire USA Northwest Ohio Council was awarded a one-year grant totaling $1,000 to support its Incredible Kid Day and On Behalf of Youth Award.
• The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library was awarded a one-year grant totaling $1,895 to provide a one-year subscription to Foundation Directory Online.
• The Hancock Historical Foundation was awarded a one-year grant totaling $1,200 to provide copies of the recently published Findlay history books to 23 area schools and public libraries.
• The Hancock Parks Foundation was awarded a one-year grant totaling $1,200 to support costs of the 2012 Riverside Park Summer Concert Series. The Summer Concert Series provides free concerts to over 7,000 Hancock County residents.
• The Arts Partnership of Greater Hancock County was awarded a one-year grant totaling $1,500 to expose children at three area elementary schools (Washington, Chamberlin, Lincoln) to vocal art through an Opera on Wheels performance.
• The Arts Partnership of Greater Hancock County was awarded a one-year grant totaling $2,500 to provide access to free downtown music through the Courtyard Concert Series.

Foundation Scholarships Available Online

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation will be accepting scholarship applications starting February 1. Scholarships will be available via the Foundation’s website at www.community-foundation.com from February 1, 2012 until April 1, 2012.

The Foundation currently has 100 scholarship funds 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 April 1.  The student will only need to submit one application to be considered for scholarships at the Community Foundation.

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

Community Foundation Brings Grant Database to Findlay

The Community Foundation has 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 nearly 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 2.4 million recently awarded grants, and a keyword-searchable database of over 700,000 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 Offers Workshops to Strengthen Local Nonprofit Agencies

As part of its strategic initiative to strengthen local nonprofit agencies, the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation is offering “Standards for Excellence,” a series of workshops in cooperation with the Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

Participation in “Standards for Excellence” will be limited to ten agencies that currently have 501(c)(3) status or have applied for 501(c)(3) status and provide services in Hancock County.  Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The “Standards for Excellence” workshops will cover eight areas of nonprofit operations: Mission and Program, Governing Board, Conflict of Interest, Human Resources, Financial and Legal Accountability, Public Accountability, Fundraising, and Public Policy and Public Affairs. Standards cover a broad range of best practices under each of these operational areas, such as how often an organization’s board of directors should meet, what subjects should be covered in personnel policies, how often financial statements should be prepared, etc.

The four workshops will be held at the Family Center from 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on April 11, April 25, May 9, and May 23.  Executive directors of participating agencies will be required to attend all four workshops. Two additional people, one of which must be a board member, must also attend each workshop, for a total of three participants per enrolled agency.

Applications should be mailed or delivered to the Community Foundation office at 101 W. Sandusky St., Findlay OH 45840. A $100 fee, which covers lunches for all four workshops, must be included with the application.

Agencies that successfully complete the “Standards of Excellence” series will be eligible to apply for a $2,500 Capacity Building Grant from the Community Foundation to help implement what they learned in the workshops.

For more information about the “Standards of Excellence” series for local nonprofit agencies please contact Julie Brown at 419-425-1100.

Click here for a copy of the application (PDF).

ECLIPSe Partnership’s ENGAGE Youth Council Seeks Grant Proposals

The ECLIPSe (Emerging Community Leaders Investing in Philanthropic Service) Partnership’s ENGAGE Youth Council has announced that applications for their next round of competitive grants are now available. There is $2,500 currently available for local service-learning projects. Area youth, schools and youth-serving organizations interested in submitting a grant proposal can receive more information and an application packet by contacting Kimberly Bash, Senior Program Officer, at (419) 425-1100 or by going to the website at www.community-foundation.com. The deadline for these proposals is February 17, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. ECLIPSe requires that funded projects be coordinated in partnership with local youth and that they address actual community needs through service-learning.

ECLIPSe is a local K-16 service-learning partnership.  In early 2011, the youth council of ECLIPSe merged with the Mayor’s Teen Advisory Council to become the ENGAGE youth council.  ENGAGE remains part of the larger ECLIPSe Partnership. ENGAGE members raise and grant funds for high quality youth-driven service-learning projects in Hancock County. Members are trained to understand the structure and function of non-profit organizations, the concept of philanthropy, how to evaluate community needs, raise funds, award grants, evaluate their impact, and educate the community about service-learning.

ENGAGE Seeks New Members

Applications are currently being accepted from students in grades 8 – college who live in Hancock County and are interested in participating on the ENGAGE Youth Council.  The purpose of ENGAGE is to promote service-learning, youth philanthropy and civic engagement.  The ENGAGE Youth Council is a merger between the ECLIPSe youth grantmaking council and the Mayor’s Teen Advisory Council.  ENGAGE remains part of the larger ECLIPSe Partnership.

In the past, ENGAGE members have participated in the Zach Morgan Memorial Soccer Tournament and Coats for Christmas. Members implement two grant cycles a year that support youth-driven service-learning projects, plan additional proactive service-learning projects based on community needs and member interests, fundraise for service-learning projects and teach others about the importance of service-learning, philanthropy and engagement.

Those interested in applying for ENGAGE can pick up an application at the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation office, 101 W. Sandusky Street, Suite 207.  An application can be emailed to you by contacting Kimberly Bash at kbash@community-foundation.com or (419) 425-1100.  Completed applications and resumes are due to the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, either by email or by dropping them off by February 3 at 4:00 p.m. If you have questions regarding the ENGAGE Youth Council, please contact Kimberly Bash.

A Tribute to Ed Heminger

November 30, 2011

Ed was one of the first people I met when I came to Findlay. I marveled at the breadth of his acquaintances: Presidents, leaders of corporations, the Dali Lama. He loved Findlay and his family’s long history in the county. His courtly manners and old-fashioned habit of letter writing were models we all could follow.

His sincere interest in, and prodigious memory of, Findlay’s history was legendary. No one could connect the dots of events, people, and relationships the way he could. His energy and engagement in Findlay had not faded with his advancing years. His generous leadership was felt daily at the Historical Museum and Museum Foundation. The upcoming Findlay Bicentennial will not be the same without him. Earlier this week he spoke at the Bicentennial kick-off meeting with enthusiasm and pride in the Museum’s activities and plans. Here at the Community Foundation, he was a welcome visitor, bringing news of the progress in writing the updated history of Findlay or ideas for support of historical preservation in Hancock County. We enjoyed working with him and valued his insights and suggestions.

Our Board and staff send their deepest sympathies to Karl, Meg, and Kurt and their families. Findlay has lost a kind and gentle man; he will be missed by all who knew him.

Katherine Kreuchauf
President
The Findlay Hancock County Community Foundation

2012 CommunityREAD Book Announced

The CommunityREAD committee and the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation have announced that the 2012 CommunityREAD feature book will be Still Alice by author Lisa Genova.

The focus of this year’s CommunityREAD event is to encourage discussions regarding Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on relationships, career, conflict, and suffering. And in the end, about a woman who is more than just her disease. She is still Alice.

Still Alice is a compelling debut novel, written by author Lisa Genova, about a 50-year-old woman’s sudden descent into early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Alice is a psychology professor at Harvard when she starts experiencing moments of forgetting and confusion. She at first attributes these signs to normal aging, too much stress, not enough sleep, and so on. But as things get worse, she eventually sees a neurologist and learns that she has early-onset Alzheimer’s. As Alice loses her ability to rely on her own thoughts and memories, as she loses her cerebral life at Harvard, where she’d placed all her worth and identity, she is forced to answer questions like “Who am I now?” and “How do I matter?” As the disease worsens and continues to steal pieces of what she’d always thought of as her self, we see her discover that she is more than what she can remember.

Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She is the author of the New York Times Bestselling novels Still Alice and Left Neglected. Lisa is currently writing her third novel, Love Anthony, about a boy with autism. She lives with her family on Cape Cod.

This is the 10th annual CommunityREAD event held in Hancock County. This popular event has featured notable authors such as Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie), Andy Andrews (The Traveler’s Gift), Homer Hickam (Rocket Boys), Harper Lee (To Kill A Mockingbird), Catherine Ryan Hyde (Pay It Forward), Jeannette Walls (The Glass Castle), John Grogan (Marley & Me), Erin Gruwell (Teach With Your Heart) and Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet). All of the authors except Lee have visited Findlay as part of a CommunityREAD event.

The CommunityREAD event also highlights the HancockREADS mission to promote the benefits of literacy in Hancock County. HancockREADS is an initiative of the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation with the goal to promote the benefits of literacy by funding programs that focus on improving literacy and reading skills. Every dollar donated to the HancockREADS endowment fund is matched with 50 cents by the Community Foundation.

Many activities are being planned for CommunityREAD, including a special event featuring Still Alice author, Lisa Genova, on Friday evening, March 2, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. at Central Auditorium. Tickets for the event are $5.00 and will be available at the Arts Partnership Box Office and the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation office. A book signing for attendees will follow the event.

Members of the Hancock County community and surrounding communities are invited to participate in all CommunityREAD events during February and March.  Details of book discussion groups and other events will be included in an insert in The Courier in late January 2012 and online at www.community-foundation.com.

Contact Lisa Houck at the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation at 419-425-1100 with questions about CommunityREAD.