Blog Post

Area Not-for-Profits Awarded More Than $135,000 Through Community Foundation’s Competitive Grant Program

Thirty-eight area not-for-profits received a total of $136,554 in competitive grant funding from the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri. A total of 46 grants, awarded from 46 endowment funds held at the Community Foundation, will support a wide range of local, charitable interests. The checks were awarded during a presentation at Hannibal’s Central Park Gazebo.  

The grants will support nonprofit programs, assist nonprofits with purchasing needed equipment and supplies, and contribute to much-needed operational funding. The grants will support a wide range of charitable purposes and projects throughout the region, including human services, youth programming, arts and culture, health and mental health, food security, and education.

“Investing in our nonprofits through these grants is investing in the future of our region,” said Catherine Bocke Meckes, Community Foundation CEO. “When we have strong nonprofits providing much-needed services like food and health and creative opportunities like access to fine arts, we all thrive.”

The Community Foundation annually accepts competitive grant applications from not-for-profit organizations in its 12-county region. A grant committee, comprised of volunteers and board members from the region, evaluates each application to determine awards. Grants are awarded for needs and opportunities in the areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education, health and human services.

“The Community Foundation is so proud to award these grants, not only because it supports important opportunities, but because it is the end result of our donors’ generosity,” said Meckes. “Each grant reflects the charitable passion of a forward-thinking donor and we are grateful for the opportunity to steward these funds.” 

Earnings from endowment funds make today’s grants possible. Donors work with the Community Foundation to establish permanent charitable funds to support their philanthropic goals and community. The Community Foundation invests and grows those funds, and each year, a portion of the fund’s earnings are distributed as grants. The funds include:
• Unrestricted Endowments, which enable the Community Foundation to make awards throughout the region, 
• Field of Interest Endowments, which have specific geographic or interest requirements, 
• Donor Advised Endowments, which consider recommendations made by a fund’s advisor, and
• County Endowments, which benefit a specific county, advised by a council of county residents. Grants from County Endowment Funds will be presented at county-specific presentations.

The following funds supported the 2020 competitive grant program:

Unrestricted Endowment Funds, support grants for arts and culture, community betterment, education, health and human services in the Community Foundation’s 12-county service area:
• Anonymous Funds (2)
• Karl H. & Bobbi Bowles Family and Quincy Farm & Home Supply Company Fund
• Dr. & Mrs. Merle F. Crossland Family Fund
• Harry Channon Eaton Family Endowment Fund
• Angie (Fusselman) Mayes & Evelyn J. Fusselman Fund
• Harry J. & Bernice M. Wissman Heidbreder Fund
• Kirk Family Fund – Houston, Carolyn & Carson
• Mrs. Arthur O. Lindsay Fund
• Robert A. & Anne M. Mays Fund
• Robert G. and Melva Campbell Riley Fund
• Charles A. & Nancy Scholz Charitable Fund
• Margaret J. Sinnock Fund
• Bette J. Starnes Endowment
• Jeffrey G. & Theresa L. Spear Fund 
• Grant L. and K. Georgann Sturhahn Fund
• Dorothy L. Swallow Fund
• Community Endowment Fund
• James R. and Katherine H. Williams Fund
• Carl, Althea & Cathy Wiskirchen Endowment

Field of Interest Funds, support grants for specific interest or geographic areas:
• Blessing Hospital Community Health Fund
• Jayne & Leroy Broeckelman Fund for Young Musicians
• Katherine Broemmel Endowment for the Arts
• Noma Meyers Eaton Fund
• Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund
• Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund
• HOMEBANK Fund
• HOMEBANK of Quincy Fund
• Jane's Kids' Fund
• Jon’s Home Center Associates Fund
• G. Arthur (Art) Keller, Jr. Fund
• Kaye & Norman Kemner Education Fund
• William & Sheila Menke Endowment
• Quincy Recycle Fund
• James L. & Dorothy W. Rouner Fund
• Alan L. Stiegemeier and Mary Ellen Stiegemeier Charitable Fund
• United States Founding Fathers Fund

County Endowment Funds, support not-for-profit organizations in a specific county:
• Brown County Endowment Fund (IL)
• Hancock County Endowment Fund (IL)
• Lewis County Endowment Fund (MO)
• Marion County Endowment Fund (MO)
• Pike County Endowment Fund (IL)

Donor Advised Funds, allow a fund advisor to suggest grant recipients:
• Betty Schmidt Endowment
• Gardner Denver Education Fund 
• Mercantile Endowment Fund
• Optimist Club of Quincy Friend of Youth Fund

These are among the 200 funds that support arts and culture, community betterment, education, health or human services.   

This year’s grant recipients include:

Bella Ease dba Quincy Teen REACH- Teacher assistance needed to tutor at-risk students Monday through Friday -  Optimist Club of Quincy Friend of Youth Fund, Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund, William & Sheila Menke Endowment 
Boy Scouts of America - Mississippi Valley Council #141 -  To provide a fully connected experience at Saukenauk Scout Reservation, including Wi-Fi access points at the Trading Post and Dining Hall - Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund, United States Founding Fathers Fund
Camp Point Historical Society - Newspaper digitalization project to preserve, protect, and promote a collection of local historical artifacts and records for the village of Camp Point - Unrestricted Endowment Funds, Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund, HOMEBANK of Quincy Fund
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois - Meat purchase for the Mobile Food Pantry to offset reduced protein donations due to the COVID-19 pandemic - Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund
Chaddock Attachment and Trauma Services -  Renovating and equipping an unused room into a therapeutic art studio/classroom for residential children and school children -  Katherine Broemmel Endowment for the Arts
Clayton Public Library District -  Adding a children’s library with shelving that hits at the appropriate height level for kids, as well as shelving that can be easily cleaned/sanitized - Unrestricted Endowment Funds, Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund
Communities Taking Action, INC. - Tutoring/mentoring services four nights a week throughout the school year to reach at-risk students in Shelby County, Missouri - Unrestricted Endowment Funds, Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund
Community for Christ Assistance Center -  Support of the annual Back to School Fair to meet the needs of students in the community and better prepare them for the upcoming school year -  Betty Schmidt Endowment, Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund, Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund,  Jon’s Home Center Associates Fund 
Community for Christ Assistance Center -  Support of a new project to help enable clients who did not earn their high school diploma - Betty Schmidt Endowment, Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund, G. Arthur (Art) Keller, Jr. Fund 
Cornerstone: Foundation for Families -  Support of the Comprehensive Youth Services programming, which provides mental health counseling and support services to youth under the age of 18 and their families, who have social, emotional and behavioral challenges -  Blessing Hospital Community Health Fund, Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund, Jane’s Kids’ Fund, Quincy Recycle Fund,  James L. & Dorothy W. Rouner Fund
Douglass Community Services -  Support of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in Marion County, Monroe County, and Ralls County, MO - Marion County Endowment Fund
Douglass Community Services -  General support for the annual programming of the Kids in Motion program - Unrestricted Endowment Funds
F.A.C.T Families and Communities Together - Support of the Home Resource Project, which provides donated items to those in the community in order for them to reestablish a household after some form of crisis or life event - Mercantile Endowment Fund
Families and Communities Together/Project Community Connect - Support for Project Community Connect, a one-day, one-stop event for quality of life services targeting those in the community who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness in Marion and Ralls Counties, MO - Mercantile Endowment Fund, Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Food for Thoughts Hancock County - Provide week-end meal bags to children in need in Hancock County -  Hancock County Endowment Fund, Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois -  Awarding membership assistance on the basis of need and to all at-risk girls served through outreach programming - Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund
Golden Friends -  Support for the installation of proper electrical systems on eight light poles and to purchase new Christmas lights to attach to existing decorations - Betty Schmidt Endowment
Hannibal Alliance for Youth Success (HAYS) - Support of the Buddy Pack Program which provides students with food packs on a weekly basis throughout the school year -  Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Hannibal Free Clinic - Vision & dental health support & transportation assistance for patients who live in Lewis, Monroe, Pike, and Shelby Counties, MO -  Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Hannibal LaGrange University - HLGU STEM Camp - Marion County Endowment Fund, Gardner Denver Education Fund
Horizons Social Services - Food, supplies, and staff expenses for food relief programs - Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund,
HOMEBANK of Quincy Fund
Illinois 4-H Foundation - Social and emotional development support for high school youth in Hancock County - Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Jensen Camp Foundation - General support to partially meet financial needs caused by COVID-19 - Jon’s Home Center Associates Fund
Jensen Camp Foundation - Installation of two bathrooms in the basement of Dixon Lodge, which will provide safety to campers during inclement weather- Brown County Endowment Fund, Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Junior Achievement - ‘Start With the End in Mind’ Career Fair to educate 8th grade students about a variety of local careers opportunities available -  Gardner Denver Education Fund
Lewis County Fair Association - Renovations of the Lewis County 4-H Youth Building located on the Lewis County Fair Grounds - Lewis County Endowment Fund, Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Lewis County Food Pantry - Funds for rent and utilities in order to have a place to distribute commodities - Lewis County Endowment Fund
NECAC: North East Community Action Corporation - To provide baby and senior adult hygiene kits that include laundry soap and incontinence products - Unrestricted Endowment Funds
NECAC: North East Community Action Corporation - Support of the Shelby County Strong Back to School Fair in Shelby County, MO -Unrestricted Endowment Funds, Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund
NECAC: North East Community Action Corporation - Support of the Learning for Lewis Back to School Fair in Lewis County, MO - Lewis County Endowment Fund, Gardner Denver Education Fund
Quincy Hospitality House - Funding will allow for affordable lodging for patients of local medical care facilities and their families -   Unrestricted Endowment Funds, Paul H. & Anne. B Gardner Memorial Fund
Quincy Society of Fine Arts/Arts Quincy - General support to provide flexible arts programming to students - Katherine Broemmel Endowment for the Arts, Noma Meyers Eaton Fund, Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund
Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association - General operating support for the Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association (QSOA) 2020-2021 fiscal year expenses - Jayne & Leroy Boeckelman Fund for Young Musicians, Alan L. Stiegemeier & Mary Ellen Stiegemeier Charitable Fund
Regional Office of Education - Funds to buy books for Health Department nurses, hospital nurses, and volunteers to distribute to parents -Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund, Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund, Kaye & Norman Kemner Education Fund, Gardner Denver Education Fund
Salvation Army of Quincy - Support of the Pathway of Hope program, which provides individualized services to families with children who desire to take action to break the cycle of poverty - Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund
Salvation Army of Quincy - Support of the LEAP- Life Employment Assistance Program in Hannibal to help income-eligible individuals improve their job situation -  Marion County Endowment Fund, Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Transitions of Western Illinois - Upgrades to the Sensory Room, which provides a variety of sensory experiences designed to assist those with special needs and/or autism spectrum disorders - Gardner Denver Education Fund 
Quincy Art Center - Art education programs - Gardner Denver Education Fund 
The Child Center - Child sexual and physical abuse crisis intervention in Northeast Missouri - Unrestricted Endowment Funds
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri - Providing hunger relief in Lewis County - Lewis County Endowment Fund
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri -  Providing hunger relief in Marion County - HOMEBANK Fund
Two Rivers Resource Conservation & Development - Support of the Access Food Program in Pike County, which provides a way for hunters to donate a deer for food pantries with all processing costs are covered by the program - Pike County Endowment Fund
United Way of Adams County - Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program services to low income taxpayers who live in or near Adams County - Unrestricted Endowment Funds, Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund, Grace United Methodist Church of Quincy Fund
VOYCE - Support for the VOYCE Program, which serves Northeast Missouri residents of nursing homes, assisted living, and residential care facilities to provide advocacy, support, and assistance with problems or complaints- Unrestricted Endowment Funds
Western Community Center YMCA - Funds to provide yoga classes during finals weeks to reduce stress & increase well-being and concentration for high school and junior high students - Pike County Endowment Fund
YWCA of Quincy - Support of housing and supportive services for homeless households with disabilities - Paul H. & Anne B. Gardner Memorial Fund, Mercantile Endowment Fund
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In addition to today’s presentation, County Endowment Fund Councils will present grants from County Endowment Funds. Fund councils in Brown, Hancock and Pike County, IL and Lewis and Marion County, MO reviewed applications from local, eligible organizations and made recommendations on grants to be awarded to best serve each county’s needs and opportunities. Grants from County Endowment Funds will be presented at County Endowment awards ceremonies in each county in August and September.
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The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri builds permanent charitable funds to assist area nonprofits and communities. 

Its mission, “connecting people who care with causes that matter,” is achieved by gathering funds, growing them through investments, then granting to nonprofit organizations, causes or communities that mean the most to its donors.   

Since 1997, the Community Foundation has made more than 4,000 grants totaling more than $8 million in the 12 county service area of Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike in Illinois and Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Shelby and Monroe in Missouri.  

The Community Foundation has IRS 501(c)(3) status, and contributions made to the Community Foundation generally qualify for the maximum allowable deductions for income and estate tax purposes.  

For more information, call 217-222-1237, email info@mycommunityfoundation.org or go to mycommunityfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/mycommunityfoundation.

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