Hamilton County Community Foundation Announces $278,395 in Grants

Support comes from endowments, youth advisory council, and newly created fund
responding to COVID-19

Today, Hamilton County Community Foundation, an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), announced $278,395 in grants to Hamilton County not-for-profit organizations. Grants approved by the Hamilton County Community Foundation board of directors are part of a four-pronged approach to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic that has shaped community need in 2020 and were funded through the Endowment for Hamilton County, LINK Youth Advisory Council, and the newly created Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund.

In March, CICF and its affiliates, Hamilton County Community Foundation and The Indianapolis Foundation, adopted a four-pronged approach to the health and economic crisis ignited by COVID-19: Supporting funder collaboratives; adapting regular responsive grant rounds; counseling donor-advised fundholders on how to best support the community during the pandemic; and creating COVID-19 response funds, including the Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund, a flexible fund to quickly provide resources to not-for-profit organizations that are responding to those impacted by COVID-19.

The Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund was seeded with $100,000 from Hamilton County Community Foundation and has since received nearly $300,000 in contributions from individuals and corporate partners.

Grants from the Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund provide support to community-based organizations serving Hamilton County that work with seniors, youth, and economically vulnerable populations. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with grants being distributed throughout 2020 as funding allows. Grant decisions are made by Hamilton County Community Foundation staff in collaboration with the executive committee of Hamilton County’s Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). The simplification and streamlining of the grantmaking process provide applicants with award notification within two weeks of submitting a funding request. Grants from the Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund currently total $212,395 and include:

• Good Samaritan Network ($20,000) – Funding supports procurement and transportation costs for food to local pantries throughout Hamilton County.
• Westfield Education Foundation ($3,500) – Funding to fulfill individual student needs submitted on an online app Purposity.
• View full list of grant recipients below.

“Hamilton County Community Foundation is proud to have mobilized investments and resources quickly to create the Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund to ensure that organizations who serve our county’s residents were able to keep up with the increased demand for services,” says Thomas J. Kilian, Jr., president of Hamilton County Community Foundation. “We commend our not-for-profit organizations that have risen to the occasion to serve all residents during the pandemic.”

Learn more about contributing to the Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund or requesting support.

Hamilton County Community Foundation and Adaptive Grantmaking

With board approval, Hamilton County Community Foundation focused recent awards from the Endowment for Hamilton County on organizations and projects that align with the foundation’s community leadership initiatives: mental health, family and youth empowerment, and inclusive economic growth. The foundation also made grants in March totaling over $100,000, responding to the need in the communities’ most vulnerable populations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants from this round were made possible by the Endowment for Hamilton County, City of Noblesville Fund, Northern Hamilton County Fund, and Westfield Endowment Fund, totaling $51,000 and include:

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Indiana ($5,000) – Funding supports the Ending the Silence campaign, teaching about the warning signs of mental health conditions and steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental health condition.
• Brooke’s Place for Grieving Young People ($10,000) – Funding is for grief support services for Hamilton County youth and families.
• View full list of grant recipients below.

LINK Youth Advisory Council

LINK Youth Advisory Council is a yearlong, philanthropic educational program for high school students established by Hamilton County Community Foundation. Students learn about and assess the needs of the county, conduct site visits and learn about the process of applying for and awarding grants. At the end of the program, LINK Youth Advisory Council awards $15,000 in grants, with approval from the Hamilton County Community Foundation board. This year, grants include:

• Fueled for School ($3,160) – Funding supports backpack program providing food and essential to students during COVID-19.
• Prevail ($3,500) – Funding includes the support of their new teen dating curriculum.
• View full list of grant recipients below.

GRANTS AWARDED FROM THE ENDOWMENT OF HAMILTON COUNTY, HAMILTON COUNTY CRISIS SUPPORT FUND AND LINK YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL