As a donor you decide where your donations are to be spent and as a donor you can have as much or as little involvement as you wish. There are a variety of tax saving vehicles that allow the donor to receive income while making charitable contributions. A variety of fund types, Donor Advised for instance, allow the donor to have a say each year in where their donations will go.
The Foundation awards grants three times a year from the earnings of our endowed funds. A benefit of donating to the Foundation is that our funds are pooled and the total of our assets large enough to meet the fee reduction levels offered to large investors. Working with the Foundation a greater share of your donation will go for the charitable purpose.
On an annual basis the Greene County Foundation awards the following grants:
Grant Cycle ONE – DESIGNATED annual payout of earnings on the DESIGNATED endowed funds. This payout is made in Feb/March of each year to those organizations that are the beneficiaries of endowed funds that are DESIGNATED for a specific purpose. These have been established by the organization or by a donor that wants to support that organization or cause. These can be named in memory or in honor of someone, for example the Dutch and Juanita Rowe fund which supports school supplies at Shakamak and WRV. Look under the FUNDS tab for a full listing of Funds
Grant Cycle TWO, ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS – each spring ( May) Scholarships are awarded. This is grant cycle TWO. We have 22 scholarship funds, that award approximately $55,000 each year. These are endowed funds designated to be awarded as a scholarship, often in memory of, or in honor of someone. To date these scholarships have helped 315 students with college expenses at a total cost of $339,000. This excludes the Lilly Scholarship. Look under the FUNDS tab for a full listing of Scholarship Funds
Grant Cycle THREE ENDOWED UNRESTRICTED – This is the Community Support grant cycle, paid from the earnings of the Unrestricted funds which means the Board of Directors of the Greene County Foundation determines where/how these earnings are to be spent. There are currently 10 of these funds. These fund can be named in memory of or in honor of someone i.e. the Bill and Linda Haseman Unrestricted Fund, The Smithville Charitable Foundation Community Support Fund. The total of the earnings comes to approximately $30,000 a year. Contributions to existing or the establishing of funds in this category will be matched $1.00 for $1.00 through March 31, 2016 or until the match dollars $350,000 are exhausted. The Legacy Program is focused on this category of funds only. Legacy brochure
Donations to the unrestricted funds have provided support for the following:
HEALTH WELLNESS, SAFETY AND FITNESS
Linton Swimming Pool – funding support for a Lift Chair to keep the pool ADA compliant and open to the public, allowing access to the pool for all.
Long Fish Dash – funding three different years in support of the Shakamak area 5K run. It has grown each year.
Stingray Swim Club – support for new starting blocks and lane lines to replace the current 20 year old ones.
Crock Pot Cooking – support for the Jasonville Food pantry to provide crock pots, cook books and classes on how to prepare more nutritious meals with commodities available from the food pantry
Linton Youth League – a grant twice to help with the excavation and building of baseball fields in Linton
Greene County Drug Task Force – improvements for the development and safety of the FOP gun range to help local law enforcement practice and provide gun safety classes to hunters and youth
Son Ministries Food Pantry – A freezer to help the food pantry receive and save larger quantities of commodities that can be distributed over a longer period of time. This food pantry is a collaboration of 7 churches in the Linton area
Worthington Park – funding for the replacement, purchase and installation of a new slide in the playground area of the park
Eastern FFA club – support for a greenhouse to help the club grow and sell local produce and flowers in support of club activities and science projects
Open Arms Christian Homes – support for new roofs on the residential homes for children in their care through foster, abuse or neglect
Greene Academy- support for the building of ramps for Habitat houses, using students from the academy. A service learning project
ARTS and EDUCATION
Carnegie Heritage and Arts Center – help with funding to building a handicapped accessible ramp and push button door to allow elderly and disabled access to art classes in the building. ADA compliant
Linton Music Festival – support for the August music Festival that brings large crowds to the Linton Area.
Sculpture Trails – grants in three years to support workshops, and events at the Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum in Solsberry
Shawnee Theater – grants in four different years to support the operations and children’s programming at the theater.
Bloomfield Library – support for a community created mural housed on the front lawn of the library.
Worthington City Park – funding for summer concerts in the park
Greene County Literacy Coalition– two grants for funding of updated GED materials and equipment to help those who are unable to read
Friends of Goose Pond – support for the Marsh Madness Festival
PACE/Headstart – purchase of books for Headstart children in Eastern and Linton. Male volunteers will read to the children and children will receive their own copy of the book.
BEAUTIFICATION
Greene County Soil and Water – building of an observation deck at the Tulip Trestle to encourage Tourism.
Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce – support for a study from Ball State to “reimagine and redesign the Bloomfield downtown area
Worthington Garden Club – support for turning a vacant lot into a downtown park
Worthington Senior Center – support for upgrades to the center, new doors
Lyons Senior Center – support for upgrades to the center, new cabinets
OPERATIONAL GRANTS
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry – grants tice to help with processing of donated deer meat from hunters that is then given to local food pantries
Middle Way House – funding three different years to help support activities of the organization that serves and provides safety and counseling to individuals, and children facing situations of domestic violence.
Salvation Army – support for their operations that help provide clothing and housing for victims of fire, foreclosure, and loss of homes
Family Life Center – support for repairs on their Backpack Bus to deliver school supplies around the county
Ride Solutions – support for the purchase of a new van that provides transportation for elderly, disabled, and low income individuals in need of transport to doctors, groceries etc.
211 Emergency call in – support for continuation of the 211 county wide call system for referrals to resources for those in need.
Civitan Clothe-a-Child – support for the annual Christmas Toy give-away for low income children
YOUTH PHILANTHROPY
Saving the Monarchs – support to two 11 years to start a club at their school and plant butterfly gardens to help save the diminishing population of Monarch butterflies.