Community Foundation of Boone County Awards Largest Grant Yet for Big 4 Trail Impact Project
Since 1991, the Community Foundation of Boone County (CFBC) has injected more than $28 million to address local, unmet needs. In 2021 alone, CFBC granted nearly $1.1 million to impact several areas of need, including developing local trails, delivering warm meals to elderly and others in need, helping single parents with nowhere else to turn, offering mental health therapy programs, and supporting scholars pursuing multiple types of degrees and careers.
Impact Grants
On March 10, CFBC kicked off 2022 granting by awarding $75,000 to Isaiah 117 House Boone County, a local nonprofit organization providing physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting foster care placement. Today, CFBC gathered together community partners, officials, and supporters to award a total amount of $150,000 to provide gifts of public art to the north and south sections of the Big 4 Trail and signage for the entire trail. “The mission of CFBC is to connect people, organizations, and philanthropy to create a thriving community for all”, said Jodi Gietl, President & CEO for the Community Foundation of Boone County. “What better way to connect residents than with the trail that bisects the urban and rural landscape of Boone County.”
“The Friends of Boone County Trails is excited to see CFBC put this money into the continuation of the trail efforts”, said Dan Warkentien with the Friends of Boone County Trails. “This is a dream come true and we look forward to seeing residents throughout the county benefit from this investment.”
“This combined amount of $150,000 is the largest project grant in CFBC history. We are able to make these monumental, impactful grants because of our supporters and donors, both today and in previous years”, said Gietl. “We are grateful to those who have believed and continue to believe in the work of the Community Foundation of Boone County.”
“Over the past few years, we’ve truly focused on making a large impact in different ways, such as awarding a total of $150,000 in surprise grants to the local 3 public school corporations to help with COVID response, bringing two new murals to the towns of Advance and Jamestown, and injecting over $1 million every year into this wonderful county we call home”, says Gietl. “We continue to focus on ways to address local, unmet needs while connecting residents throughout the county.”
Connect Boone County
In addition to impact granting in 2022, CFBC recently launched Connect Boone County, a website for all things volunteer related and a one stop shop to connect nonprofits with volunteers. Connect Boone County exists to unite local nonprofits with local resources. “Being able to have volunteer opportunities, nonprofit events, and nonprofit needs (both monetary & in kind donations) all in one place is going to help the forward movement of Boone County”, says Gietl. “We believe in the power of bringing people together. We can now connect people, philanthropy, and organizations both physically and digitally.” Visit Connect Boone County today to see how you can help: https://connectboonecounty.org/.
Impact Matching Grants
Alongside the Community Impact Grant, CFBC is inviting eligible Boone County-serving nonprofits to apply for a limited number of grants ranging from $30,000 to $120,000 through the 2022 Impact Matching Grant Program. A similar program in 2021 saw 27 matching grants inject $850,000 into Boone County-serving nonprofits. The competitive grants will be awarded with preference given to programming focused on supporting elderly, disabled, or mental health. The grant application is now open through March 25. Visit CFBC’s website for more details.
CFBC engages the community, invests in people, programs, and organizations, and leads a vision for collaborative solutions. In 2022, Boone County residents will see CFBC 1- launching Connect Boone County, 2- supporting the continued growth of The Big 4 Trail, bisecting the urban and rural landscape of Boone County – connecting us all, and 3- awarding milestone impact grants to address local unmet needs in the areas of arts & culture, community development, disabled, education, elderly, human & health services, mental health, scholarships, and youth development. “Our 220+ funds award grants to nonprofit organizations to improve the quality of life in Boone County by contributing to the development of each community, addressing community needs, and investing in solutions that strengthen and improve our community”, says Gietl. “We look forward to working with our community partners, donors, and fund advisors, to make an impactful difference in 2022 and beyond.”
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BOONE COUNTY
Since 1991, the Community Foundation of Boone County has granted over $28 million from its various funds to nonprofit organizations and programs working to solve critical challenges in Boone County. Through the generosity of donors, the Community Foundation currently holds over $30 million in net assets. In the past 30 years, we have worked with donors to create permanent funds for charitable giving. The establishment and growth of permanent endowment funds will strengthen Boone County for generations to come.