​Upcoming Luncheon to Radiate Positive Energy—and $516K in Local Grants

by Phil Hanson, President & CEO, Truman Heartland Community Foundation
 
On Thursday, November 13th, there will be a lot of positive energy emitted from a luncheon at the Adams Pointe Conference Center in Blue Springs. The source of the positive energy will be the Annual Grants Luncheon of the Truman Heartland Community Foundation, where $516,672 in grants will be awarded to 67 local nonprofits. These 67 grant awards are the product of our Annual Competitive Grants Program.
 
This is one of my favorite events of the year because of the positive energy created when we bring together the staff and volunteer leadership of nonprofits from throughout our community that are making a positive impact every day. Often, new relationships begin as the leaders from these organizations learn more about each other and potentially forge new partnerships.
 
It's also one of my favorite events because of the quiet, underlying power of Legacy Giving. At this event, we have the privilege of honoring the legacy giving of donors who entrusted the Foundation with a gift of a lifetime by creating, through their estate, a competitive grantmaking fund.
 
Of the $516,672 being awarded, $437,506 is from these legacy gifts. At the event, we celebrate organizations making an impact today while we honor those who made the grants to these organizations possible.
 
Our annual competitive grants cycle is truly competitive. This year we had $1.2 million in requests from 150 organizations. We greatly appreciate the efforts of our grants committee led by board member Steve Noll. It takes a dedicated group of volunteers to review all the grant proposals and make tough decisions on which ones to fund, given the demand and our limited resources. A big thanks to Steve and the Board Members and Advisory Board Members for their dedication and service.
 
Not only are the grants filled by endowments, but also by individual donors each year who increase the grant pool.  Of the 150 applicants, the 67 organizations receiving grants requested $571,000, leaving a gap of $134,000 to fully fund their requests. I am pleased to say that in addition to our endowments, we had 19 Donor Advised Fund Holders and other contributors who responded to our request to fill this gap, for a total of $79,166. We will also be celebrating their generosity at the grants luncheon.
 
Another great part about this positive event is the involvement of our youth volunteers.
Two of our Youth Advisory Council Students, Caleb Scholes from Truman High School and
Shannon Montgomery from Lee’s Summit North High School, will be assisting us in announcing grants at the luncheon. They represent the Youth Advisory Council Students from 10 area high schools who assisted the grants committee in their work this summer. They made 18 site visits to potential grantees and provided their evaluation to the committee.
 
The YAC students also made 3 grants totaling $4,416 from their endowed fund, which was created by students and has been built up over the years from their own fundraising efforts. That endowed fund now is more than $130,000. What an achievement to celebrate.
 
As you can see, our Grants Luncheon on November 13th will bring a lot of positive energy and we will be “Improving Our Communities One Grant at a Time.” Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Insperity.