Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form








​news

Supporting Nonprofits When They Need It Most

5/28/2020

 
Picture
by Phil Hanson, President and CEO, Truman  Heartland Community Foundation
 
     It feels like an eternity ago that COVID-19 first hit our community, even though my calendar indicates it’s only a couple of months. It has dramatically impacted everyone, and personally, it feels like I am in a COVID-19 fog which challenges my ability to see what is ahead. With stay-at-home orders shifting throughout the region, it is still important that we continue to work together to help the community stay safe and to provide support for those most impacted by the coronavirus.
      I am proud to report that since March, Truman Heartland Community Foundation donor advised fundholders have granted more than $240,000 to nonprofits in direct response to the pandemic. And year to date, total grants from these donors are up 23 percent over 2019. We are grateful that these fundholders have responded generously during this crisis.
      As we continue to connect with community leaders and nonprofits to learn how we can best support our community during recovery, I am inspired by the nimble and innovative ways organizations are serving the community while maintaining social distancing to keep clients, volunteers and staff safe. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to visit the COVID-19 section on our website at www.thcf.org/COVID-19 to learn more about how nonprofits in Eastern Jackson County are adjusting to meet the rapidly-changing needs of the community during this crisis and how you can help.
     This is a time for creativity and action, and your Community Foundation is responding. In addition to launching the new COVID-19 section on our website and regularly encouraging fundholders to invest in the nonprofit community, we are adjusting our competitive grants cycle to offer flexibility and funding to nonprofits when they need it most – now.
     By fast-tracking the grants review process for our 2020 competitive grants program, we will be able to award grant checks in July instead of November. This is truly a community undertaking. This year, Truman Heartland received requests for more than $892,000 in grant support, which is more than three times the amount available to grant. Our dedicated Board and Advisory Board members are busy reading grant proposals and meeting via Zoom to make difficult funding decisions.
     While we are dedicated to expediting this funding, it has dramatically changed the process for our youngest Advisory Board members, our Youth Advisory Council (YAC). Participating in our annual competitive grants program is an important learning opportunity for these high school students, providing a look behind the scenes at area nonprofits and hands-on experience in grantmaking. Under normal circumstances, YAC teams would spend June and July coordinating in-person visits to area nonprofits to learn more about their funding requests for youth-serving programs. However, with the fast-tracked grants cycle, site visits and presentations all moved online. YAC students met with nonprofits via Zoom to gather insights to share with the Foundation’s Grants Committee and recommendations for grants the students will award from their self-funded endowment.
     The road to social and economic recovery will be long and winding. As things reopen, many low-wage restaurant and retail employees, who were barely making ends meet before the pandemic, may not have a job to return to. We know that there will be even more need for our Job Skills for New Careers Initiative and are working closely with our collaboration partners to respond to this increased need. You can find out more about this initiative and our partners at www.thcf.org/job-skills.
     I am confident this COVID-19 fog will lift someday. And by working together to help the community stay safe and provide support for those most impacted, we will produce the energy and light needed to lift this fog. Stay safe, and let’s all keep working together.
 
Phil Hanson is the President and CEO of Truman Heartland Community Foundation. Truman Heartland Community Foundation (THCF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity committed to improving the communities in and around Eastern Jackson County through cooperation with community members and donors. THCF serves the region with assets of more than $48 million and annual grants surpassing $4.8 million. For more information on charitable giving, visit www.thcf.org or call Truman Heartland at 816.836.8189.


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid19
    Covid-19
    Economic-development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial-health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain-valley-assistance-council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain-valley-partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Technology
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

Grain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. 
(c) 2023 Grain Valley News

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
Picture