COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF HOWARD COUNTY AWARDS GRANTS
Non-profit organizations awarded more than $399,000 in 2020
December 31, 2020 -- The Community Foundation of Howard County has awarded $316,388 in competitive grants and $83,000 in rapid response grants in 2020.
“In addition to our traditional competitive grants, we developed a rapid response grant application for community needs related to COVID-19,” said Joe Dunbar, Chairman of the Community Foundation of Howard County Grants Committee. “This allows the Foundation to respond faster to immediate pandemic-related needs outside of our regular grant cycles.”
The following nonprofit agencies and programs were awarded competitive grants from community endowment unrestricted funds during 2020:
$100,000 to Ascension St. Vincent Foundation will be used to renovate and expand the Cancer Center. Improvements include housing the positron emission tomography (PET) scanner inside the Cancer Center; expanding the Cancer Center so infusion (chemotherapy) patients can be treated inside the Cancer Center, avoiding sending them to the current third floor infusion space and allowing closer access to the Cancer Center physicians; allowing certain cancers to be treated locally with the new Linear Accelerator; and adding ancillary services such as a navigator, nutritionist and counselors to support patients.
$2,500 to the American Red Cross of Central Indiana will be used for the purchase of biomedical scales. The scales will have a lifesaving impact, bolstering the blood supply for patients, reducing waste and creating significant cost savings.
$100,000 to Bona Vista will provide support for the "Crossing Renovation" project. Funds will be used to transform unused industrial space into a state-of-the-art building that will house vital programs for those with disabilities. The Pre-ETS (Pre-Employment Transition) program will be expanded with the remodeled space. This program builds independent and employment ready skills with youth, using many tools such as job exploration counseling and work-based learning experiences. The space will also be available to other community social service agencies such as the Family Service Association and Turning Point – System of Care.
$14,850 to Carver Community Center supports the programs and services of Carver Community Center.
$25,000 to Cross America supports the "Unify Kokomo and Howard County" project. Grant funds will be used for equipment, storage carts and to construct additional storage space.
$1,500 to Curtain Call Theatre for Children will provide support to produce “Miracle on 34th Street.”
$6,500 to Embracing Hope of Howard County provides funding support for the "Feasibility Study for Douglass School" project.
$5,800 to Family Service Association will be used to purchase case management software for the Department of Child Services program. The software helps case managers by improving progress tracking, collecting relevant statistics and eliminating errors caused by handwritten case notes.
$3,800 to the Howard County Historical Society provided support for the "Virtual Tour of Christmas at the Seiberling" project. To allow more participation in “Christmas at the Seiberling,” a virtual version of the visit will be made available. The video will be narrated by Santa Claus, and online visitors will be able to vote for their favorite room through an interactive function.
$250 to Indiana University Foundation for Indiana University Kokomo’s Downtown Gallery supports the printing of a pamphlet designed to draw visitors to Indiana University’s Downtown Gallery.
$4,500 to the Kokomo Park Band supported the activities and concerts offered to the community throughout the year. Activities include five concerts in July, a Labor Day concert, a Winter Concert in February and concerts in June 2021. Other activities include a Multicultural Rhythm Workshop, a side-by-side event providing the opportunity for high school musicians to rehearse and perform alongside seasoned musicians and two student solo competitions.
$2,500 to Narrow Gate Horse Ranch will provide partial funding for equine assisted learning training and certification for volunteers. The program is based on a team approach of one facilitator working with one equine specialist. Many adolescents who refuse to attend other programs willingly participate at Narrow Gate Horse Ranch because of their love for horses.
$6,000 to the Sagamore Council, Boy Scouts of America provided funding for the "Scouting at Home" project. The home activities benefit the scouts and fulfill the adventurous spirit of young people while teaching life skills, values and leadership training.
$1,688 to Samaritan Caregivers will fund an on-line “Adopt-A-Grandparent” letter writing program from students to seniors living at home. The program will allow students to access online cards that can be personalized. The cards will be printed and mailed from the Samaritan Caregivers office.
$15,000 to Servants at Work will be used to provide wooden wheelchair ramps for mobility challenged high poverty residents who have no other means of receiving a ramp.
$1,500 to Taylor Community School Corporation will be used to implement the second and third phases of the SLAM (Students Learning and Mentoring) Program. In these phases, mentors at Taylor High School work with incoming freshmen and some sophomores, helping them to transition to high school. They also work with SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) elementary students to assist staff.
$5,000 to Turning Point - System of Care will be used for materials for classes including the Pick Yourself Up Program, the Wellness Recovery Action Plan and Financial Peace University. The funds will also help with $20 counseling sessions that help new clients until they can get into regularly scheduled counseling, as well as transportation to treatment centers.
$20,000 to the YMCA of Kokomo provides funding for the cost of the dredging of one of the ponds located on the YMCA Camp Tycony property.
The following nonprofit agencies were awarded rapid response grants during 2020:
Advantage Housing - $5,000
Bona Vista - $5,000
Bridges Outreach - $3,000
CAM Drop-In Center - $5,000
Carver Community Center - $15,000
Family Service Association - $5,000
First Congregational Church - $5,000
Food Finders Food Bank - $5,000
Four County Counseling - $5,000
Kokomo Rescue Mission - $5,000
Samaritan Caregivers - $5,000
Turning Point - System of Care - $10,000
United Way of Howard/Tipton Co. - $10,000
The Community Foundation of Howard County Inc. was formed as a not-for-profit public charity in March 1991. The Foundation seeks to serve donors and make grants to benefit the citizens of Howard County. For more information about the Community Foundation, contact Greg Aaron at (765) 454-7298 or greg@cfhoward.org. The website cfhoward.org contains information about making gifts to endowment funds, scholarships and grantmaking.
