Submitted by: The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound
The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound has awarded $45,500 in grants to ten Lewis County nonprofit organizations through its community grants program.
The organizations receiving grants are: Boys & Girls Club of Chehalis, Chehalis River Basin Land Trust, CISPUS Learning Center, Fire Mountain Arts Council, Health and Hope Medical Outreach, HUB City Mission Cold Weather Shelter, Lewis County Autism Coalition, Reliable Enterprises, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Centralia/Chehalis Conference and the United Way of Lewis County.
“As a member of the Grants Committee I was especially excited to see so many applications this year from Lewis County nonprofits, and to recommend funding for their work in our community,” said Rebecca Staebler, a Community Foundation board member and owner of HUBBUB in downtown Centralia. “These organizations represent the many groups that are tackling the tough challenges we face here in Lewis County and throughout the region.”
In addition, three Lewis County organizations chose to participate in the Community Foundation’s new crowdfunding campaign designed to inspire local giving across Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties. The organizations are Boys & Girls Club of Chehalis, Fire Mountain Arts Council and Health and Hope Medical Outreach.
“Each year the Community Foundation receives requests of about $170,000 to fund some amazing programs in Lewis County and I wish we could fund them all and to the fullest. The reality, however, is that our monies cover approximately $40,000 of these program requests. That’s why we launched Give Local,” said Norma Schuiteman, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We invite the community to join us in supporting these great programs. Whether you give $25 or $2500, you’ll know that you are helping an organization that’s vital to your local community.”
Give Local South Puget Sound is an online giving platform that features approximately 50 local nonprofit programs. Each organization has received a grant from the Community Foundation to help fund a specific project or provide general support of their program. The grants provide a portion of the funding toward their goal and through Give Local, the community can provide additional funding to the nonprofits to help them reach their goals.
Thanks to the generosity of three local businesses—Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty, Greene Realty and Olympia Federal Savings—online fees including credit card fees are covered, meaning 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the nonprofit organizations.
In addition, the Dawkins Charitable Trust has pledged a generous $40,000 matching grant, meaning each donation will be stretched even further. Starting November 21, visit http://givelocal.thecommunityfoundation.com/ to make a secure online donation, or to learn more about ways you can Give Local.
The Community Foundation is partnering with RoundGlass’ Rise Fundraiser for the online giving technology. Roundglass Rise has created a customized giving platform for the Community Foundation. The online giving platform is a powerful online fundraising tool that encourages peer-to-peer sharing and storytelling.
The Community Foundation’s Community Grants program is a significant source of community funding awarding approximately $400,000 per year to local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation’s Community Grants program is made possible by generous donors who have contributed unrestricted and broadly defined area-of-interest gifts.
Give Local South Puget is happening now through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13, 2017. Visit http://givelocal.thecommunityfoundation.com/.
