COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF HOWARD COUNTY AWARDS GRANTS

Non-profit organizations awarded more than $123,800 in first half of 2019

July 18, 2019 -- The Community Foundation of Howard County has awarded more than $123,800 in competitive grants during the first half of 2019.

“These grants are awarded from our unrestricted community endowment funds,” said Joe Dunbar, chairman of the Community Foundation of Howard County Grants Committee. “Unrestricted funds provide the best way to connect people, resources and causes to allow current needs to be addressed and to consider future needs that cannot be anticipated. To strengthen our unrestricted grantmaking ability, the Foundation is partnering with Lilly Endowment’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow program to offer a match initiative.  For every $1 given to an unrestricted community endowment fund, the match will be $2 – this triples your giving. Howard County qualifies for a $1 million match. Match funds are available until Dec. 31, 2020, or until the match is met.”

The following agencies and programs were awarded grants during the first half of 2019:

$4,000 to Advantage Housing will be used as matching funds for capacity building.

$5,000 to Family Service Association provided funding to upgrade the organization’s information technology equipment and network. The upgrades will provide a more stable and secure network, and allow the organization to better track agency outcomes.

$7,000 to Greentown Main Street will be used to paint a mural on the building that once housed the Traction Station for the Greentown Interurban in the early 1900s. The mural will feature a rendition of an interurban car that operated locally.

$2,500 to Howard County Automotive Heritage Hall of Fame for Kokomo Festivals provided funding to bring the "History on Wheels" interactive exhibit to the Haynes Apperson Festival.  The exhibit tells the history of the Indiana automotive industry in a fun and engaging manner. 

$2,918 to Howard County Special Olympics will be used to purchase financial accounting software and update the website. The updated website will provide easier online giving, the ability to highlight fundraising events and games, and information for volunteers, athletes, families, coaches and the community.

$1,000 to Ivy Tech Community College will be used by Ivy Tech’s Human Services Student Organization to start a Giving Shelf that will be located in the Student Life Building. The Giving Shelf will contain non-perishable food items, paper products and school supplies for students.

$1,400 to Kokomo Civic Theatre (KCT) provided partial funding to allow KCT to host the American Association of Community Theatre state regional competition in April. Ten theatre companies brought versions of their best shows to perform in the competition at Havens Auditorium. 

$4,500 to Kokomo Park Band will be used to support the 2019 Summer Concert Series.

$5,000 to Kokomo Symphonic Society will help support the Symphony's Youth Programs that serves students interested in violin, viola or cello who can’t afford professional instruction. The Youth Orchestra assists students who are at a higher level and teaches students how to rehearse and perform for orchestral concerts. This group performs at various community events. 

$30,000 to Mental Health America of North Central Indiana provided funding for the "Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training" program. Funds were used to train participants with the goal of developing trainers in Howard, Clinton, Carroll, Cass and Tipton counties.  Participants learned how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse disorders. 

$8,745 to Narrow Gate Horse Ranch was used to train and certify eleven volunteers in equine assisted learning (EAL) and equine assisted activities (EAA) that will allow for program expansion to serve more at-risk youth. This expansion creates the potential for up to 168 additional students. Participants in the EAL and EAA activities learn to develop life skills, discipline, responsibility, accountability, and leadership skills that ultimately lead to emotional and behavioral changes.

$2,760 to National Inventors Hall of Fame supports the "Camp Invention-Supercharged Summer STEM Program" in Western and Kokomo school districts.  The grant provided full or partial need-based scholarships for up to 25 underserved Howard County children to attend the summer enrichment program focused on developing creativity, inventive thinking and problem solving skills. 

$5,000 to Ronald McDonald House of Central Indiana provides support for lodging for Howard County families so they can be near their hospitalized child.

$19,000 to Taylor School Corporation supports Taylor’s all-day Pre-K Program and helps prepare Howard County students for kindergarten. Funding will also help the program earn On My Way Pre-K status.

$25,000 to Western School Corporation will provide matching support for an inclusive playground for special needs students. The Life Skills Program at Western Schools provides education for students with moderate and severe disabilities from Western Schools and several county schools.

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 Web site www.cfhoward.org contains information about making gifts to endowment funds, scholarships and grantmaking.