By Kallie Sulanke, Community Engagement Officer—
Muncie, IN—The Community Foundation is pleased to announce that $3,633,622 was granted to enhance the quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County in 2020. Most grants are awarded through permanently endowed funds that benefit our community today and always.
Through the Quarterly Competitive grants program, nonprofit organizations were awarded $971,600 in highly competitive grants. Grants address the broad needs of Muncie and Delaware County in the areas of arts and culture, community betterment, economic development, education, and human services. The Community Foundation received more than $1.3 million in requests this year. A committee of 12 volunteers reviews each application and makes grant recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Foundation.
The Strategic Grants program of the Foundation funds programs and projects designed to make an impact in specific, strategic areas of our community. This year, $170,000 was granted through the Strategic Grants program. Grants included support of the Successful Schools Fund to benefit professional development for Muncie Community Schools teachers; operating support for Delaware County BY5 Early Childhood Initiative; participation in Funders Forum, a collaborative funding effort by local funders; and several other strategic programs and initiatives of the Foundation.
The Strategic Grants program was extended in 2020, to launch a COVID-19 emergency response and community recovery effort. Through this effort, The Community Foundation awarded an additional $198,731. Emergency response grants of $500 – $2,000 each were awarded to 47 nonprofit organizations totaling $93,000. Additional response and recovery funding supported special initiatives including technical legal assistance for nonprofits, the Delaware County Micro-Business Restart Loan Fund, a K-12 Schools Technology Resilience initiative and Mental Health First Aid Training for educators in Delaware County schools.
The Community Foundation additionally manages 30 donor advised funds. Donor-advisors recommended $495,730 in grants this year.
Also, the Foundation manages funds designated to the mission of specific organizations or causes established by donors or by the organizations the funds benefit. These permanently endowed designated funds provide lasting support for the organizations they benefit. Grants from designated funds totaled $1,254,149 in 2020.
Lastly, scholarships totaling $193,665 were awarded to graduating seniors from local high schools and to current college students to support post-secondary education.
The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. encourages philanthropy, assists donors in building an enduring source of charitable assets, and exercises leadership in directing resources to enhance the quality of life for residents of Muncie and Delaware County. Since 1985, community members and businesses have helped the Foundation grow our endowment to $71 million. Using the earnings on the endowment, the Foundation distributes grants to nonprofit organizations, including scholarships to support students through post-secondary education. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $57 million to enhance the quality of life of the residents of Muncie and Delaware County.
