At the October Board meeting, the Hendricks County Community Foundation's Board of Directors approved grants totaling over $25,000 to organizations serving every corner of Hendricks County. These grants were made from the Community Foundation's largest unrestricted fund, the Deedee Daniel Opportunity Fund, as well as from its 35 family legacy funds--unrestricted funds created by families for a better Hendricks County now and in the future.
In 2016, the Community Foundation restructured its unrestricted grantmaking program to focus on capacity building for nonprofits serving Hendricks County. Generally defined as strengthening management systems and governance, capacity building grants recognize that organizations need to build effective management, governance, marketing and sustainability as well as programs.
Grants from HCCF unrestricted funds include: Professional Capacity (professional development) Grants; Functional Capacity (capital purchase) Grants; Organizational Capacity (strategic planning, board development, or evaluation) Grants; and finally Community Project Grants. The overall program also includes a monthly Nonprofit Learning Series (free-of-charge) as well as support for the Community Foundation's annual Get Involved volunteer fair which connects nonprofits to potential volunteers.
Grant recipients include:
Brownsburg Older Adult Alliance, $1,550
Functional Capacity - Purchase of a new computer and printer
Brownsburg Parks and Recreation, $9,000
Community Project - Trees for the Williams Park Circle redesign
Hendricks County Health Partnership, $3,425
Professional Capacity - Crisis Intervention Training
Hendricks County Historical Museum, $4,650
Functional Capacity - Website revamp
Little Red Door Cancer Agency, $2,000
Functional Capacity - Accounting systems transition
Sycamore Services, $4,650
Functional Capacity - Website revamp
"HCCF is filling unmet needs in the nonprofits serving our community," says Eric Hessel, HCCF Program Officer. "Not everyone wants to fund an accounting transition, for example; but this grant will systematically improve this organization's ability to serve Hendricks County and Central Indiana."
You can learn more about HCCF's grantmaking and upcoming Learning Series on the HCCF website at www.hendrickscountycf.org.
