LIFE grant applications are due to the LaGrange County Community Foundation office by 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 31. The application form can be downloaded at www.lccf.net/life-grants.
The LIFE Philanthropy Program at LCCF was created to promote youth involvement and teach philanthropy to LaGrange County’s next generation of community leaders. LIFE oversees its own grantmaking fund and makes recommendations for funding to the Board of Directors.
LIFE grants are available to nonprofit youth organizations and nonprofits providing a youth program or service. Additionally, public and private schools are eligible to apply for funding. Grant amounts typically range from $500 to $2,000 per award.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation will be hosting a Grant Workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 20, from 4-5 p.m. at the Community Foundation.
The Foundation encourages those nonprofit or government organizations considering submitting an application in 2019 to attend.
Topics at the workshop will include an overview of the Community Impact Grant Program, the online application portal, eligibility requirements and the elements of an effective application.
The Foundation will be conducting two funding rounds in 2019. Community Impact Grant applications are due April 1 and September 3. The application process will open online on January 31, 2019.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation is seeking proposals for innovative or creative projects with significant impact on the community. Eligible areas of funding include: arts & culture, recreation, health & human services, education and environment.
Information about the Community Impact Grant program, as well as the application and eligibility criteria is available on the Foundation’s website at www.lccf.net/community-impact-grants.
In December, the LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded Rainbow Years Learning Ministry in Shipshewana a $20,000 grant. From left are Rainbow Years students Lucille Duzan and Hudson Hoover with Rainbow Years teachers Conner Duzan and Courtney Alber. Joining them are Rainbow Years Learning Ministry Director Portia Amstutz, and David Bennett, LaGrange County Community Foundation Interim Executive Director.
LAGRANGE – The LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded Community Impact Grants totaling $96,441 in 2018 to 16 nonprofit organizations serving residents in LaGrange County.
Through Community Impact Grants, the foundation aims to support nonprofit needs and provide innovative programs and services for local residents.
Rainbow Years Learning Ministry in Shipshewana was among the 16 organizations who received funding. The Community Foundation awarded Rainbow Years $20,000 for new playground equipment and curriculum materials.
Rainbow Years will replace old playground equipment and provide new fencing, with age-appropriate activity structures for children. The total project cost of $61,000 has been financed through local fundraising and an additional grant from a private foundation. Additionally, the grant will support the curriculum program, which focuses on social and emotional learning and preparing children for kindergarten.
“Rainbow Years Learning Ministry is just so very excited about our plan to extend the classroom to the outdoors with our new playground. It will be an amazing area for children to explore, run, jump, learn, inspire, create, imagine, enrich, and grow socially and emotionally,” said Portia Amstutz, the director of Rainbow Years.
“We are also excited about sharing it with the broader community (when the daycare is not in session). We want all families to enjoy a safe and inviting play place even if they are not enrolled in our program,” Amstutz added.
Each year, the Community Foundation accepts proposals for charitable projects and programs that help local nonprofit organizations provide services to LaGrange County families and individuals. The Grants Advisory Committee reviewed the submitted grant applications and made recommendations to the Board of the Directors who approved the grant awards. The grants are made possible through the generosity of donors who have supported the unrestricted charitable funds at the Foundation.
In 2018, the LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded $96,441 in Community Impact Awards. Those projects and programs include:
Reason 4 Hope, $2,000, Camp Hope
LaGrange County Council on Aging, $10,300, LaGrange Area Transit Van
LaGrange Communities Youth Centers, $2,420, Art and Drama Camps
The Farm Project, $25,000, Emergency Foster Care Home
Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, $5,000, Meat processing fees for food pantries
Youth for Christ of Northern Indiana, $1,500, Campus Life program materials and equipment
LaGrange Church of God, $2,200, Night to Shine
Ark Animal Rescue and Adoption, $1,500, Pet ID machine
Mad Anthonys Children’s Hope House, $2,000, Operational support for LaGrange County families
Compassion Pregnancy Center, $10,621, LaGrange Office Remodel Project
Kate’s Kart, $2,500, LaGrange County Book Distribution
Phillip’s House, Inc. $1,500, Board training and consulting
Elijah Haven, $3,900, Batterers Intervention Program
Community Harvest Food Bank, $5,000, LaGrange County Farm Wagon
Impact2818 at Camp Lakewood, $1,000, AED safety equipment
In 2019, proposals for Community Impact Grants will be accepted on April 1 and September 3. A grant training session will be held on Wednesday, February 20, from 4-5 p.m. at the Community Foundation. The session will provide information on the Community Impact Grant program and how local nonprofit organizations can apply for funding. RSVP is required. To learn more, visit www.lccf.net.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire and sustain generosity, leadership and service. Founded in 1991, the Community Foundation connects people to charitable causes and provides resources to nonprofits to make a lasting and sustainable impact.
Scott Emergency Food Pantry coordinator Eunice Gagnon, left, and Scott United Methodist Church pastor Christopher White, received a $2,000 grant from the LaGrange County Community Foundation in February to support local food distribution for families in need.
Clothes and Food Basket, Scott Emergency Food Pantry receive assistance
Thanks to the generosity of many local donors, the LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded two organizations a total of $10,936 in February as part of the foundation’s We Give Thanks matching program to support local food distribution.
Over the holidays in 2017, the LCCF Board of Directors offered to match local donations to the We Give Thanks campaign “dollar-for-dollar” up to a maximum match of $5,000. As in past campaigns, local donors, still deeply concerned about the welfare of families stepped up to the challenge.
Organizations who received grants this year include the Clothes and Food Basket in LaGrange for $8,936 and the Scott Emergency Food Pantry at the Scott United Methodist Church in Shipshewana for $2,000.
Open two days a week, the Clothes and Food Basket provides food, clothes and hygiene products to needy individuals in LaGrange County. They also operate the Christmas Bureau which provides assistance during the holidays. During the Clothes and Food Basket’s 2017 Christmas Bureau they served 369 clients and their families, assisting a total of 1,497 individuals. During that time they provided fresh fruit, towels, sheets, hats, gloves, undergarment, children’s toys for Christmas, and a ham or turkey.
The Scott Emergency Food Pantry provides additional assistance for county residents. The congregation operates the emergency food pantry to help the needs of those who have lost a job, been laid off, on sick leave, death of a spouse, etc. They offer non-perishable items and a voucher for milk, bread, eggs and a pound of hamburger. The pantry is open on Wednesday afternoons.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant on Jan. 4 to support Night to Shine, a prom experience for individuals with special needs hosted by the LaGrange First Church of God. The event will be held Feb. 9 at the Farmstead Expo Barn in Shipshewana. From left are Night to Shine committee members from LaGrange First Church of God Ben Stuckey, Ingrid Lochamire, Kyle Coalson, Allisa Brown, LCCF executive director Jennifer Tuttle, Tara Watts and Lauren Harris.
Night to Shine, Youth for Christ among grant recipients
By Octavia Yoder | Program Officer
In December 2017, the LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded a round of funding totaling $60,500 for 12 projects benefiting LaGrange County.
The community foundation grants help local charities and nonprofit organizations provide services to LaGrange County families and individuals in the areas of arts and culture, health and human services, environment, recreation and education.
Ahead of Night to Shine in February, guests are invited to visit the Prom Closet and pick out a special dress or suit to wear for the evening.
In February, LaGrange First Church of God will host the second annual Night to Shine event in Shipshewana – a prom night experience for individuals age 14 and older with special needs.
Night to Shine is one of the 12 programs supported by a community foundation grant. The guests attend free of charge and are paired with “buddies” to experience an evening of music, dancing, games and activities. The church received $5,000 to help with the event.
Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana received $5,000 to support the LaGrange County Farm Wagon. The mobile food pantry makes weekly stops in LaGrange and Wolcottville with fresh produce.
Youth for Christ of Northern Indiana also received $7,500 to support the Campus Life programs in LaGrange County schools.
LCCF executive director Jennifer Tuttle, left, awards a $7,500 grant to Youth for Christ of Northern Indiana for the Campus Life programs at Westview and Lakeland schools. Joining Tuttle are Campus Life student Riley Rosendaul, Campus Life director Gerald Yoder, Campus Life student Xavier Tennant and Campus Life director Heidi Yoder.
Other grant recipients include:
Veterans Headstone Project, Replacement of damaged headstones, $2,120.
McMillen Health, K-12 preventative health education, $5,000.
WNIT, Education Counts Michiana, $10,000.
Lakeland High School, LaGrange County College Visit Program, $2,500.
Early Childhood Alliance, Parents as Teachers program, $5,000.
Mad Anthonys Children’s Hope House, Housing for LaGrange County families, $5,000.
Agape Childcare Ministry, Education materials and supplies, $3,380.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded Agape Missions of LaGrange a $5,360 grant to assist with the second-tier roof renovation at Brian’s House in LaGrange. Agape Missions operates an emergency shelter for individuals and families in LaGrange County. From left are Agape Missions board members Deven Hostetler, Brittany Cowley, Steve Sherck and LCCF Executive Director Jennifer Tuttle.
Community Impact Grants help LaGrange County projects
The LaGrange County Community Foundation recently awarded Agape Missions of LaGrange a $5,360 Community Impact grant to complete the roof renovation at Brian’s House in LaGrange. The nonprofit organization started in 2014 to help individuals in LaGrange County in need of emergency shelter.
From left are Agape Missions of LaGrange County board members Deven Hostetler, Brittany Cowley and Steve Sherck. In 2016, Agape Missions purchased a duplex at 511 N. Detroit Street in LaGrange. With the assistance of grants, donations and volunteer labor, the organization renovated the structure and converted it into three apartments.
Agape Missions purchased a duplex at 511 N. Detroit Street in 2016. With the assistance of grants, donations and volunteer labor, the organization renovated the structure and converted it into three apartments. While Agape Missions was able to renovate the home with volunteer labor, the roof had to be replaced in two stages by professionals because of its steep pitch. The second portion of the roof was the final major renovation that needed to be complete before winter, said Steve Sherck, the organization’s vice president.
Presently, individuals and families are able to stay at Brian’s House for up to three months for free and reduced costs. In addition to housing, Agape Missions also provides assistance with financial mentoring, job search assistance and transportation needs.
Other recent LCCF Community Impact Grant awards include:
Elijah Haven, Safe Dates Curriculum at the LaGrange County high schools, $1,750.
Reason 4 Hope, Your Life Speaks School Assembly program, $2,000.
Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, Providing meat donations to local food pantries, $2,500.
ACRES, Land maintenance of LaGrange County preserves, $1,500.
The foundation’s Community Impact Grant program provides opportunities for local nonprofits seeking funds. The foundation awards grants for innovative and creative projects and programs that are responsive to changing community needs.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to the Blessings in a Backpack program at Lakeland schools. The program provides meals to children on the weekend at Wolcott-Mills Elementary School and will expand to Lima Brighton and Parkside Elementary Schools. In front, from left are volunteers Gabby Dodd, Hannah Barrick, Campbell Dodd and Will Barrick. In back are LCCF Board Member Sue Keenan and volunteers Trudy Christner, Peggie Strawser, Brian McCoy, Lorrie Bond, Jane Kauffman, Ron Kauffman, Leon Detweiler, Tom Maskow, Michelle Campbell, John Christner and Tom Barrick.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation recently awarded a $5,000 grant to the Blessings in a Backpack program at Lakeland schools.
Led by volunteers from LaGrange First United Methodist Church, the program provides weekend meals to children in LaGrange County who might otherwise go hungry. More than 50 percent of elementary students in the Lakeland district qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program.
Since 2012, volunteers from the church have met regularly to pack meals through a partnership with the national Blessings in a Backpack program. The nonprofit provides the framework for local communities to set up their own programs to help curb food insecurity.
In 2012, Michelle Campbell encouraged her Sunday school class at LaGrange First United Methodist Church to provide weekend meals to students through the Blessings in a Backpack program. With funds from individuals and local community groups, the volunteers have been able to provide 60 students at Wolcott-Mills Elementary School with weekend meals.
Presently, the volunteers provide 60 children at Wolcott-Mills Elementary School with 38 weekend meals during the school year. The volunteers fill plastic grocery bags with the food such as granola bars, peanut butter, tuna, crackers, cereal, juice boxes, and etc., and the teachers put the bags in the students’ personal backpacks.
The grant will allow the group to expand the program to serve Lima Brighton and Parkside Elementary Schools, adding 50 children who will receive regular weekend meals.
