Private giving for the public good. That’s the THCF tagline. And every year, that is exactly what your Community Foundation strives to do. We work with fundholders, big and small, to help them support the charities and causes near and dear to their hearts. This year, even with the markets being less than ideal, the generosity of our communities has been impressive. And we aren’t even into the traditional “season of giving” yet!

The Foundation just finished the annual competitive grants process for 2022. Two competitive grant programs are available to area nonprofits, the Community Grants Program and the Jelley Family Foundation Endowment for Children’s Education. THCF is pleased to announce that grant awards increased 15 percent this year, adding to the 264 percent growth in the competitive grant pool over the last ten years. We are honored to be the bearer of such positive and impactful news.

The Foundation received 108 grant proposals this year. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and focus to wade through each proposal’s narrative, not to mention all the supplement documents to review—budgets, timetables, graphs, and more. The THCF Grants Committee members serve a vital role in the entire grant process. They spend countless hours of their own time going over every line item and scoring every section. It is a process, especially with so many solid proposals that could improve the lives of individuals, children, and families throughout the region.

Thank you to all our 2022 Grants Committee for their service: Lynette M. Wheeler (Committee Chair), Cathy Allie, Michele Crumbaugh, Jake Greco, Lori Halsey, Liesl Hays, Cliff Jones, Mayor Mike Larson, Zachary Mallory, Dave Mayta, Ritchie Momon, Joe Mullins, Glen Nash, Rosalie Newkirk, Steve Noll, Melissa Reimann, Merideth Rose, Dr. Beth Rosemergey, DeeAnn Stock, Allan Thompson, and Dave Turner. Thank you for volunteering to be on this Committee and take on this critical project. 

The Committee narrowed the selection pool down to fit the available endowed funds. More than $436,000 in nonprofit grants came from endowment funds. The Committee awarded grants to 59 organizations, but not all the approved proposals could be fully funded. With only so many dollars to go around, some organizations could only be awarded partial grants. This is where our generous fundholders come in who generously provided an additional $55,932 to add to the grants total.  Each year THCF fundholders are given the opportunity to use their DAFs to Fill the Gap for these nonprofits. By doing so, numerous projects will be able to move forward unhindered by budget concerns.   

Several fundholders stepped up to help this year, and because of their generosity, some agencies will receive even more than they initially requested. Thank you to all of the following donors for showing the true spirit of collaborative giving: HMF Beaudoin Family Foundation, Darren Brungardt Charitable Foundation Fund, Gene and Joanne Cable Donor Advised Fund, Wayne Feuerborn Family Fund, Linda and Mike Gerding Family Fund, Douglas G. and Helen Ann Hatridge Family Foundation Fund, Tina and Bryan Hughes Fund, Clifford and Diane Jones Foundation, Junior Service League of Independence, David and Connie Mayta Charitable Fund, Melanie Moentmann Charitable Fund, Tom and Kathy Rohr Family Foundation Fund, Montie and Marjorie Tripp Family Foundation Fund, John S. Thornton Family Fund, Wray Family Charitable Fund, Lenora “Lennie” Wyre Charitable Fund, THCF Youth Advisory Council Endowment Fund, and several anonymous donors. Thank you for sharing your passion for improving our communities through thoughtful philanthropy.

If you would like to learn more about the Competitive Grants process, either as a fundholder looking to contribute to the competitive grants process next year or a nonprofit agency looking for 2023 funding, reach out to Diana Castillo, THCF Director of Grantmaking and Donor Services.