Posted on June 30, 2012

Community Foundation Update (6/30/12)

California

The Fresno Regional Foundation has announced $370,000 in grants to organizations working in the areas of human services and teen pregnancy prevention in Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Kings, Merced, and Mariposa counties. The foundation, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, will award $250,000 to organizations working to reduce teen pregnancy in the San Joaquin Valley and $120,000 for capacity-building strategies.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation has announced grants to two local nonprofit organizations providing housing for the city's most vulnerable residents, while a third grant will be used to strengthen urban planning in the region. The grants include $200,000 to the M.W. McCaleb Education Fund to house homeless and underemployed individuals by renovating an abandoned hotel in Central City; $100,000 to help transform the Andrew Bell School Campus in the Treme neighborhood into a multifaceted arts complex that will provide seventy-three artists with a place to live and work; and $175,000 to the University of New Orleans Department of Planning and Urban Studies to enhance its graduate program in planning.

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation is working to increase its outreach to neighboring areas and become a greater resource for local nonprofits, the Lowell Sun reports. After nearly a year at the helm, executive director Ray Riddick said the foundation will debut a new program on local television called "Spotlight on Community Giving" and initiate donor tours to show potential donors how their gifts are used by nonprofits in the area. During 2011, the foundation awarded more than $916,000 in discretionary grants and saw the value of its endowment surpass $23 million.

The Capital Region Community Foundation in Lansing has awarded ninety-five grants and scholarships totaling more than $323,000, Mlive.com reports. Grantees include the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition for the Tuesday Toolmen program, Allen Neighborhood Center for food storage in the Allen Street Food Hub, and the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross for disaster services.

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation has announced 159 grants totaling almost $150,000 through its Summertime Kids initiative. Recipients include BLOC Ministries, Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship, and Northern Kentucky Harvest.

Portland State University has announced that the Oregon Geographic Alliance was awarded a $200,000 grant from the John and Betty Gray Geography Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation to improve geography education in Oregon's K-12 schools. The grant will help support professional development programs for teachers, community outreach, and advocacy, as well as the creation and dissemination of educational materials.

The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation in Charleston has awarded a total of $481,350 in scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year, the Gazette-Mail reports. Students received scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.