Community Foundation Board and Staff
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Board of Directors
John Weymouth
Chairman
Jim Allhusen
Donna R. Bafundo
Sandra Benson
Brad L. Bloom
Denis C. Bonnett
Cheryl Comes
Yvonne Curl
Jerilyn A. Farren
Kimberly Kord
Shelia Mahony
Michael J. Marks
Shirley Peterson
David Rosenblum
Jackie Rosswurm
James Wagner
Allen Ward
David Wetmore
Staff
President and CEO
Grantmaking and Scholarship Administrator
VP for Finance and Administration
Donor Services Associate
VP for Marketing and Communications
VP for Development and Donor Services
VP for Grantmaking and Community Leadership
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Note from the President/CEO
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Denise K. Spencer, President and CEO |
Forgotten Thanksgiving
My favorite holiday has long been Thanksgiving.
I recognize that it may not suggest the same importance as holidays that reflect critical aspects of one's religious beliefs. And apparently, it does not create the same economic boon enjoyed by other holidays. I believe this must be true, because it felt like many retailers forgot it this year. Christmas decorations were displayed beside those for Halloween. Certain cable channels began their annual Christmas movie broadcasts before Halloween. And Halloween greeting cards seemed to outpace those for Thanksgiving.
Nonetheless, Thanksgiving, while considered a secular holiday, touches my spirituality in very deep ways.
Click
here to continue reading.
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Grant Information and Awards
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Competitive Grants Awarded
In November, Community Foundation of the Lowcountry awarded almost $217,000 in competitive grants to five local nonprofits: Bluffton Self Help, Lowcountry Legal Volunteers, OSPREY Village, Second Helpings and University of South Carolina - Beaufort. Since January, we've awarded nearly $480,000 through our competitive grant cycle to organizations making a difference in our
community.
Bluffton Self Help - $87,654 over two years to create a community education and resource center, which will provide access to employment, life skills, technology and job skill training.
Lowcountry Legal Volunteers - $51,100 to hire a second attorney, which will allow the organization to expand services.
OSPREY Village - $11,000 to train clients how to utilize ride sharing programs like Uber to help meet their transportation needs.
Second Helpings - $15,000 to hire a temporary, part-time contract employee to set up a donor software program and develop a utilization plan.
University of South Carolina - Beaufort - $52,250 to purchase a variety of simulation equipment/software for their nursing program.
Opportunity Grants Available
Opportunity Grants are available throughout the Foundation's service area, which includes Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties. Opportunity Grants are designed to stimulate and help launch new programs and projects; or to help focus, enhance, and/or expand an organization's existing programs and services; or as an investment in a capital project which is a critical enhancement to the mission of the nonprofit organization. These grants support requests up to $10,000 and are considered on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The first step to apply is to attend a Grants Information Session. See below for information and session dates for 2018.
Upcoming Grants Information Sessions
The first step to apply for a grant from the Community Foundation is to attend a Grant Information Session where you can learn about our grantmaking guidelines and eligibility requirements. All sessions are on Thursdays at our offices from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
There are two sessions scheduled before the May 15, 2018 grant application deadline: January 25 and March 15. To register and see a full list of upcoming sessions, visit the Grants Information Session page on our website.
Other Grant Opportunities
The Community Foundation has several funds that offer grants at different times throughout the year. Click on the links below for additional information and eligibility requirements:
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We are very excited to offer
The Giving Marketplace! This comprehensive nonprofit directory is available to the entire Lowcountry community including donors, volunteers, funders, and businesses. Information in your profile data is exchanged with GuideStar on a semi-annual basis, so keeping your information up-to-date on our local portal automatically updates your national GuideStar database records.
We would like to encourage you to take a few moments to look at your profile and others as well. By filling out your impact statement and measures you can achieve a GuideStar Platinum Profile.
We provide all the support and guidance you'll need to create or update your profile. If you are not familiar with The Giving Marketplace, contact us for an overview and assistance to get started. If your organization has an existing profile, be sure to verify that the information is complete and up to date. An up-to-date Marketplace profile is required in order to apply for a grant from the Foundation. Contact
Debbie Cahoon for assistance.
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Lowcountry Volunteer Connections
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This is the season for giving. Many of your local supporters would like to give their time, in addition to financial gifts, and sometimes time is their greatest available asset. Let us know if you have any specific needs this time of year! We would like to keep our 600 volunteers up-to-date with opportunities. Lowcountry Volunteer Connections is here to help connect you with folks who want to help. Take a few moments to look at your profile and make any necessary updates, while adding current opportunities. Contact Debbie Cahoon for assistance.
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In Other News
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Tell Us What You Think About Our Grantmaking
GrantAdvisor is a new website that crowdsources grantmaker information to help nonprofits looking for funding. If you have received a grant from Community Foundation in the past several years, we encourage you to complete a survey about your experience. Your feedback will not only help other organizations seeking funding from the Community Foundation, but can help inform our work and improve our practices. Share your experience on GrantAdvisor and complete an anonymous survey by clicking
here.
SoLo SCAVA 2018 Program Calendar
If you help to recruit, manage and retain volunteers for your organization or company and are interested in learning more about how to do so successfully, join SoLo SCAVA, the Lowcountry's professional association for volunteer administrators.
SoLo SCAVA, the Southern Lowcountry South Carolina Association for Volunteer Administration, is a local professional association for volunteer administrators in Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties. Membership is $35 per year and entitles you to four professional development sessions and discounts on registration for Together SC's Summit and SCAVA's annual statewide conference. There will also be several social/networking opportunities throughout the year.
Program dates for 2018 are January 18, April 19, July 19 and October 18. All four program are held on Thursdays from 8:30-10:00 a.m. at the Palmetto Electric facilities in Hardeeville.
The January session is FREE.
For details on the programs, follow us on Facebook and sign up for our newsletter on our
SCAVA page.
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Upcoming Conferences & Events
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Registration in Open for Together SC 2018 Summit
Together SC (formerly SCANPO) will hold its annual nonprofit Summit at the Westin Hotel right here on Hilton Head. This year's theme is CommUNITY, uniting our voices for stronger communities
The Summit will be held at the Westin Hotel from March 5-7 and there is a pre-conference Board Summit for executive directors and board members.
Conference registration is open and we encourage you to register early. We hope the Summit's location will offer greater opportunity for participation from nonprofit staff in our area. Click here for full information.
If you have information about an upcoming educational event that you would like to share in Nonprofit Connections, let us know.
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Sincerely,
Kevin
VP for Grantmaking and Community Leadership
Community Foundation of the Lowcountry
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