In This Issue
Note from the President/CEO
Grant Information and Awards
The Giving Marketplace
Lowcountry Volunteer Connections
In Other News
Connect with Us!
Community Foundation Board and Staff
Board of Directors
John Weymouth
Chairman
 
Jim Allhusen

Donna R. Bafundo

Sandra Benson 
 
Brad L. Bloom
 
Denis C. Bonnett

Cheryl Comes 
 
Jerilyn A. Farren

Kimberly Kord 
 
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
 
Communications Associate   
   
  Administrative Assistant

 Finance Associate
 
VP for Development and Donor Services

Bailey Schorr
Program Associate

VP for Grantmaking and Community Leadership

Leslie Vargas-Prada
Donor Services Associate
 

 
September 2017
 
Note from the President/CEO

   
Denise photo
Denise K. Spencer, President and CEO
A Rude Interruption

Once again, less than a year from our Hurricane Matthew crisis, we have come through another major storm ---   Irma. The board and staff of Community Foundation of the Lowcountry hope that all of our nonprofit friends have fared well and are busy at the work of restoring order and providing assistance to your clients/customers.

If you are experiencing unexpected additional costs related to Tropical Storm Irma, please review our website for the criteria, process and application to apply for financial assistance from our Disaster Recovery and Rebuilding Fund. We don't seem to be attracting many contributions following this storm, but we still have some resources available that could be put to use.

Questions? Contact Kevin Smith, VP for Grantmaking and Community Leadership. As always, Community Foundation of the Lowcountry is proud to be a part of the solution when community needs are apparent.

Grant Information and Awards
 
$162,731 Awarded to Local Organizations

 
In July, Community Foundation of the Lowcountry awarded $162,731 in grants to three local organizations: Arrhythmia Alliance, The Sandbox - An Interactive Children's Museum and Savannah Children's Choir. 

Arrhythmia Alliance received $52,731 for the purchase and installation of 25 AEDs in public properties throughout Bluffton, in partnership with Bluffton Township Fire Department.

The Sandbox - An Interactive Children's Museum's grant of $60,000 will be paid over two years and will fund a new executive director staff position.

Savannah Children's Choir received $50,000 to fund staff positions needed to expand the choir to Bluffton to benefit students who live in Bluffton and Hilton Head.

The grants represent the first grant cycle for our 2018 fiscal year.   


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 January 15 grant application deadline. To register to attend one, please click on one of the dates below.   
Dues to space limitations, each session is limited to 24 attendees. To 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:   
The Giving Marketplace

Join The Giving Marketplace
We are very excited to announce some upgrades to the back-end of the site. The software upgrade will have The Giving Marketplace down for a couple of days. (You will know if the site is down if there is a notice/banner across the site when you log on.) Once the migration is complete though, we are confident that you will be thrilled with the new dashboard and the simplified data entry screens. Those of you who already have profiles will get additional information towards the end of the month. Those who haven't completed their profiles yet (or who haven't started), might find this a good time to register and complete one.
 
The Giving Marketplace is a comprehensive nonprofit directory available to the entire Lowcountry community including donors, volunteers, funders and businesses. Information in Your Giving Marketplace profile data is exchanged with GuideStar on a semi-annual basis, so keeping your information updated on our local portal automatically updates your national GuideStar database records.
 
Creating a profile is easy and we provide all the support and guidance you'll need along the way. 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 updated Giving Marketplace profile is required in order to apply for a grant from the foundation. Contact Debbie Cahoon for assistance. 
    
Lowcountry Volunteer Connections

As we watched weather reports earlier this month, wondering which path Irma would take, we were reminded of the needs we had almost a year ago. Approximately 500 volunteers are registered on Lowcountry Volunteer Connections and looking for ways to serve our community. Now is a good time to re-visit your profile in Lowcountry Volunteer Connections. Let us know if you need help posting opportunities or navigating through the site.

In Other News

Welcome Bailey Schorr!   
Bailey Schorr recently joined the staff at Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. Schorr will serve as program associate, assisting with grant management and administration, serving as a liaison to several fund advisory committees and providing support for special projects and initiatives. He's a recent graduate of University of South Carolina Beaufort where he majored in psychology and minored in French. While a student, Schorr and a classmate built and maintained a hydroponic garden. Vegetables grown were donated to the Jasper County Boys & Girls Club and integrated into a cooking class that taught the children about healthy cooking and the benefits of eating vegetables. Schorr hails from Bel Air, MD.

  
Help Us Help You  
GrantAdvisor is a new Web site 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 Foundation, but can help inform our work and improve our practices. Learn more about GrantAdvisor and complete an anonymous survey by clicking here.

 
SoLo SCAVA Chapter Inaugural Meeting: Thursday, September 21  
Do you help recruit, manage and retain volunteers for your organization or company? Are you interested in joining a group of your peers to learn more about how to do so successfully? Find out more about SoLoSCAVA at an open informational meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 21 at Palmetto Electric facilities in Hardeeville. Click here to RSVP for this free meeting through Lowcountry Volunteer Connections.        
Upcoming Conferences & Events 

Together SC ---  2018 Summit CommUNITY
on Hilton Head Island 
Did you know that SCANPO is now Together SC? Did you know that next year's Together SC Summit - CommUNITY will be held right here on Hilton Head Island? The Summit will take place at the Westin Hotel on March 5-7. Conference registration opens in September 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 further information.
 
If you have information about an upcoming educational event that you would like to share in Nonprofit Connections, let us know.  

Connect with Us!

We'd like to hear from you. Do you have an idea that you'd like to share with us? Do you have suggestions about Lowcountry Volunteer Connection? Do you want to learn more about how to get the most out of your The Giving Marketplace profile? E-mail Kevin Smith, Debbie Cahoon or Bailey Schorr.

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Sincerely,
 
Kevin
VP for Grantmaking and Community Leadership
Community Foundation of the Lowcountry