COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS THIRTEEN GRANTS

At its meeting June 3rd, the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation voted to award grants, totaling $57,395, to thirteen (13) community-based organizations serving Glynn, Camden and McIntosh counties. The 2015 competitive grants cycle focused on programs serving at-risk youth and their families and activities supporting arts, culture and heritage tourism.

In addition to donor-advised and field of interest grant-making throughout the year, the Community Foundation annually conducts a competitive grants cycle which targets specific areas of need and opportunity across the three-county region.   Strengthening local, not-for-profit service organizations is part of the mission of the Community Foundation, and the grant process is designed to build both financial and organizational capacity. Seven (7) of this year’s 13 grant recipients are first-time applicants. A brief description of the grant recipients and programs follows.

Advance Learning Academy, St. Marys, Georgia.

A grant of $4,500 will support a “Summer Reading and Math Enrichment Program” to help students increase basic math and reading levels as well as social awareness, intra-personal and inter-personal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships. The program is open to students throughout the community.

Camden County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Program, Kingsland, Georgia

A grant of $5,000 will provide training opportunities for Staff and Advocates. Additional in-service training will be provided for foster parents and community members. A quarterly training, “Darkness to Light” will focus on prevention of sexual abuse in children.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Glynn, Inc., Brunswick, Georgia

A grant of $2,400 will provide training of Staff and Advocates specifically around working with teens, who are growing in number in the Foster Care system.

Children In Action Sports Club, Brunswick, Georgia

A grant of $3,500 will help the club develop a viable strategic plan and create a resource management plan which will ultimately increase management and organizational efficiency. The club uses sports and physical activities as an outreach and development tool for children and youth.

Coastal Georgia Historical Society, St. Simons Island, Georgia

A grant of $5,000 will support a pilot Archaeology and History Summer Day Camp for children attending the Saint Simons Island Boys and Girls Club.  The Camp will serve 16 children per week over six weeks, utilizing facilities at the old Coast Guard Station and the historic Lighthouse.

Communities In Schools of Glynn County, Brunswick, Georgia

A grant of $5,000 will provide partial support for the Site Coordinator for the Blueprint Graduation program at Glynn Middle School Site. The program, a partnership with United Way, works with middle school students who are at-risk of failure and dropping out of school.

FaithBridge Foster Care, Brunswick, Georgia

A grant of $5,000 will support the Glynn County Chapter of FaithBridge with the ongoing recruitment and training of foster and respite families who serve children in out-of-home care. FaithBridge works with local churches to expand the reach and impact of foster care.

The Gathering Place, Brunswick, Georgia

The $4,000 grant will support The Gathering Place’s summer college tour, which provides sixteen rising high school seniors the opportunity to tour a wide range of academic colleges and technical colleges across Georgia and assist them with preparation of applications.

Golden Isles Youth Orchestra, Brunswick, Georgia

A grant of $5,000 will support “String-On,” collaborative program between GIYO and the Glynn County School System. The program provides one week of violin instruction to all 5th grade students in the Glynn County School System, with the goal to de-mystifying classical music and providing a pathway for ongoing instruction and performance.

Keep Golden Isles Beautiful, Brunswick, Georgia

A grant of $4,000 supports “Make Art Not Litter,” an interactive community litter prevention effort that will culminate with the public assembly of four art sculptures, made from litter, to be placed in the City of Brunswick and Glynn County public spaces.

Marshes of Glynn Libraries, Brunswick, Georgia

A grant of $4,995 will continue and expand the Early Literacy Parental Involvement Initiative across Glynn County. Following the Community Foundation’s successful Baby Steps initiative, Marshes of Glynn Libraries began educating parents and care givers on the importance of developing early literacy skills for their children.

The Methodist Home for Children and Youth, St. Marys, Georgia

The $4,000 grant will be used to support upgrades in furniture, fixtures and equipment for the organization’s group home in Camden County which provides residential and treatment services for a dozen young men.

Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Darien, Georgia

A grant of $5,000 will fund transportation costs, food and curriculum resources for a summer and afterschool program provided to youth residing in the communities adjacent to the church. The church provides tutoring services, life skills development and nutritious meals for children attending Oak Grove Intermediate School.

About the Foundation

The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation (CCGF) was incorporated in 2005, as a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Glynn, McIntosh and Camden counties.   The Foundation now has assets in excess of $15 million and hosts some 50 distinct funds. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in grants to community organizations in the three county region and beyond.

Strengthening Our Communities through Engaged Philanthropy

This GuideStar Article has some great information....check it out!

"Questions I'm Most Often Asked about Winning Foundation Grants"

The Foundation Directory Online is a powerful tool -- With dozens of advanced search options, you can dig into grantmaker and grants databases to find exactly the information you need to help get funded and make an impact.

While there is normally a subscription cost for this tool, the Foundation Center Library Collection was brought to Glynn County through a joint effort of the Community Foundation and United Way in 2006 and is free for your use. 

This Collection is a major resource for grant research.

It now resides at the College of Coastal Georgia in the Service Learning Department.   Contact the Service Learning Department at the College of Coastal Georgia or call Codi Cocchi @ 912 279-5976 to make a reservation.  Drop ins are welcome too.

When the news gets out about a great grant made by The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, its a win-win situation.  You, as the nonprofit recipient, receive the spotlight for the important work you are doing, which can spark the interest of other donors.  The Foundation and its donors are recognized which promotes more investment in community programs and support for the permanent Coastal Community Endowment fund.  Other local nonprofits learn about our grantmaking and are encouraged to contact us.

We publicize grants by issuing press releases to local media throughout our service area as well as featuring grant stories in our newsletters and annual reports, not to mention our website and our annual meeting.  But we need your help to do that more effectively.

Introduction

The subject of this short course is proposal writing. But the proposal does not stand alone. It must be part of a process of planning and of research on, outreach to, and cultivation of potential foundation and corporate donors.

This process is grounded in the conviction that a partnership should develop between the nonprofit and the donor. When you spend a great deal of your time seeking money, it is hard to remember that it can also be difficult to give money away. In fact, the dollars contributed by a foundation or corporation have no value until they are attached to solid programs in the nonprofit sector.

This truly is an ideal partnership. The nonprofits have the ideas and the capacity to solve problems, but no dollars with which to implement them. The foundations and corporations have the financial resources but not the other resources needed to create programs. Bring the two together effectively, and the result is a dynamic collaboration.

You need to follow a step-by-step process in the search for private dollars.     (Read Full Document)

Lessons for BOARDS from the Nonprofit Overhead Cost Project

Many nonprofit organzations have problems accurately tracking and reporting their overhead expenditures in financial statements.  Is your organization one of them?

This guide reviews major findings from a national study and makes recommendations in four areas:

Financial controls

Financial reporting

Financial staffing

Organizational effectiveness

 Overhead Cost Guide

The following discussion guide is an excellent resource for non-profits on charting impact.

Discussion Guide

Rich's Consumer Brands Fund celebrated its second year of grantmaking to local community non-proifits through their charitable fund at the Community Foundation.  Last year the total amount granted was significant at $50,000.  This year they doubled that!

Recipients were...

Morningstar Children and Family Services - $50,000

YMCA - $25,000

Fellowship of Christian Athletes $25,000

Congratulations to all!  Just one of the many ways Rich's is giving back to the community!

L-R: Jim Motos, Rich Products; Wells Kilgore and Katie Morse, Morningstar; Tim Hardin, Fellowship of Christian Athletes; Jay Mullins, YMCA; Donna Ratliff and Jayne Mathews, Rich Products.

Recently the Summer Interns for the Gathering Place came by with their advisor for a visit......

We always enjoy meeting these amazing young people who spend the summer in the Golden Isles to learn leadership skills and most of all continue to develop a servant heart!