Posted on November 10, 2012

Community Foundation Update (11/10/12)

California

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has announced the return of the Caltrain Holiday Train, which will make ten stops on December 1 and 2 to help raise awareness and funds to address needs in the region. Decked in green and some sixty thousand lights, the train will leave the San Francisco Caltrain Station both nights with onboard musical entertainment and a surprise guest. At each twenty-minute stop, revelers will be able to enjoy holiday music led by a traditional Salvation Army brass band and carolers.

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has announced that it will partner with the city of Atlanta and Hands on Atlanta in a city-led initiative called Love Your Block to encourage local residents to participate in beautification projects and programs specific to their community. With support from the Home Depot and UPS foundations, the initiative will provide mini-grants of $1,000 to residents conducting a project.

The newly established Macomb Community Foundation has created a governing board and will determine its priorities in the coming months, Tri-States Public Radio reports. The board will be chaired by Jodi Pospeschil of Western Illinois University, who said the foundation aims to support projects in a range of areas to improve life in Macomb.

The Omaha Community Foundation has announced that the Fund for Omaha, its largest competitive fund, has awarded twenty-one grants totaling more than $170,000. Recipients include the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Completely Kids, Creighton University, and Heartland Family Service.

The Brooklyn Community Foundation has announced the creation of the Brooklyn Recovery Fund to assist individuals, families, businesses, and neighborhoods affected by Hurricane Sandy. The fund is a joint effort of the foundation, the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

The Heinz Endowments has announced the second year of the Investing in Professional Artists program, which it sponsors along with the Pittsburgh Foundation. The grant program provides resources to professional artists for creative development; artist residency funds for cultural institutions; artist opportunity grants through the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council; and the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards. Applications for 2013 Creative Development and Residency grants will be accepted online until 11:59 on January 22, 2013.

The Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture have announced that the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund has awarded an additional $521,935 to sixty-eight farmers dealing with the long-term effects of Tropical Storm Irene. In six funding rounds, the foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $2.45 million to 225 farmers.