Montgomery County Community Foundation gathered Thursday to award grant checks to 10 grant recipients in the first grant cycle of 2024. Awards totaled $209,832.
MCCF Chief Executive Officer Kelly Taylor welcomed everyone and thanked the nonprofit leaders for the work they do in our community. Fund owners in attendance were recognized and thanked, for without fund owners, the grants would not be possible. Listed by Area of Interest, the following grants were awarded:
Community Development
• Veterans Memorial Park, $10,000
The Veterans Memorial Park aims to honor Montgomery County veterans and their families. The addition of retired, authentic pieces of United States armament, vehicle and aircraft will allow visitors to see, experience and learn more about our military history. The funds will be used to acquire a Humvee to complete the equipment display.
• Crawfordsville Main Street, $31,280
Drawing from the priorities identified from last fall’s transformation strategy workshop, CMS will “Elevate the Main Street Four Point Approach.” Addressing economic vitality, they will host heritage trades workshops; design will address the aging streetscape by replacing and refinishing outdoor furnishings; promotion will include the creation of a “downtown direct” resource guide for building and business owners; and finally, under organization, new office furniture and equipment will be purchased.
Early Childhood Education
• North Montgomery School Corporation, $19,833
North Montgomery launched the Early Learning Academy in 2006. Over the years classes have been added to all three elementary schools, first for four-year-olds, then for three-year-olds at two of the schools. Now with need for a three-year-old class at Sugar Creek, these funds will help fund the cost of additional age-appropriate furniture, equipment, and supplies to equip a classroom to open this fall. All classes have earned the Paths to QualityTM Level 3 rating.
• Rainbows & Rhymes Preschool, $2,559
This Level 3 Paths to Quality TM program is committed to providing professional development for their teachers. Improved teacher skills will result in less teacher stress, improved instruction and enhanced learning for the students. The funds will be used to engage an Early Learning expert to work directly with the staff to provide training which will focus on understanding the effects of trauma and chronic stress on young brains. Better understanding will improve staff/student interactions.
Health
• Montgomery County Free Clinic, $10,301
Access to women’s health care should not be considered a luxury but for too many girls and women in Montgomery County, this is the unfortunate reality. The clinic aims to bridge this gap by launching a Women’s Health Program which will focus on preventative care by increasing access to care such as breast and pelvic exams, Pap smears, mammogram referrals and vaccinations.
Historical
• Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, $75,000
A structural assessment of the 1870 Carriage House revealed structural concerns with the building. In addition, the exterior paint is failing, siding has rotted and at least two windows need to be replaced. This is the oldest building in Crawfordsville directly associated with Lew Wallace and it is a priority of LWSPS to preserve it and interpret it for future generations.
Human Services
• Food Finders Food Bank Inc., $5,000
Food insecurity is an ongoing issue in Montgomery County and according to Feeding America the food insecurity rate here is 10.8%. This represents over 4,000 individuals (almost a quarter of whom are children) who do not know where their next meal will come from. These funds will provide “credit” which local partners may use to secure food for their respective pantries.
• Sunshine Vans, $26,930
Sunshine Vans offers transportation services to residents of Montgomery County who are at least 60 years old and/or disabled and they are the only wheelchair accessible provider. These funds will provide the required 20% match needed for an INDOT grant which will pay for a new wheelchair accessible van.
• Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center, $1,429
Sylvia’s will offer child abuse disclosure and prevention education through four free Darkness 2 Light Stewards of Children training opportunities in Montgomery County in 2024. These trainings include a 2.5-hour video presentation as well as trainer-facilitated discussion using questions from the workbook throughout the training. The funds will be used to purchase 100 workbooks to be used in the four training sessions.
Youth
• Boys & Girls Club, $27,500
The Club seeks to support the academic development of students in its summer program by implementing evidence based curriculum offered by The Boys & Girls Clubs of America. They will focus on three academic success programs: Project Learn, Summer Brain Gain and DIY STEM. These funds will help offset the cost of staff training and implementation of the programs.
The grants were made possible by the following MCCF Field of Interest Funds: Preston and Anne Bost Early Childhood Education Fund, Luella Brake Fund, Herman Dicks Fund, DeVon W. and Mary Jane Flaningam Fund, Michael D. and Sally A. Hinkle Fund, Drs. Paul and Mary Ludwig Fund, Tom and Cynda Mellish Fund, Herbert, Genevieve and Marian Morrison Fund, Morris and Barbara Odle Family Fund, A.F. Ramsey Trust Fund, Amy Robinson Trust Fund, Faye O. and Anna Winter Schenck Fund, Women of Wisdom Fund honoring Rev. Chris Hotopp-Zachary, Mary Vi Leaming RN and Meda Lorton, Youth are Our Future Fund.
And from these MCCF Unrestricted Funds: Heather Barajas Fund, Missie Bickel No Hill for a Climber Fund, Chase Bank Fund, Community Fund, Tony and Cindy Cosenza Fund, Hank and Nancy Coyle Fund, John and Betty Culley Fund, Dr. Fred and Elizabeth Daugherty Trust Fund, Irwin Lee Detchon Fund, Directors Fund, Earl F. and Ruby B. Elliott Fund, Larry and Susan Griffith Fund, Roger and Judy Hildebrand Fund, M. Gaildene and Stan Hamilton Fund, Thomas and Mary Beth Harmon Fund, Carl F. and Margaret Henthorn Fund, John and Roberta Hudson Fund, Walter Hulet Fund.
MCCF manages over 250 endowed funds, each established by donors with the desire to make Montgomery County a better place to live. Since 1991, over $29 million in grants and scholarships has been awarded to agencies and students right here in Montgomery County.
To learn more about MCCF Grantmaking visit https://www.mccf-in.org/unrestricted-grant-cycle to review the eligibility guidelines and learn about the application process. Direct questions to Cheryl Keim, Grants & Community Relations Director at 765-362-1267 or cheryl@mccf-in.org.
