Harrison County Community Foundation Awards Grants and Launches New COVID Needs Grant Application
The Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) is still serving our community. In September, the HCCF awarded a total of $22,426 in grants to the South Harrison Community Development Corporation (SHCD), the Historical Society of Harrison County Inc. and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana (BBBS). These grants were made possible as a result of the generous support from community donors and Caesars Southern Indiana.
BBBS was awarded a grant to support its pilot School to Work program for up to 15 high school students and 15 elementary school students at South Harrison Community School Corporation. Some of the funding is coming from the HCCF’s Builder’s Funds.
“This grant will enable Harrison County high school students to benefit from a mentor in the business community through a program designed to develop lifelong career- and social-related skills,” Jennifer Quick-Cook, Program & Community Engagement Manager at BBBS, said. “Adding to this, the pilot program will teach students leadership and mentoring skills to share with elementary and intermediate students. We are immeasurably thankful to the Harrison County Community Foundation, South Harrison Community School Corporation and all of our wonderful supporters, both business and personal, who have invested in the future to further our mission: to ignite the power and promise of youth and our vision that all youth achieve their full potential.”
The Historical Society of Harrison County received a matching grant to repair and repaint six historical markers in Harrison County. The funding for this grant is coming from the HCCF’s Historic Preservation Fund and Builder’s Funds.
The Historic Preservation Fund is a “field of interest” fund supporting grants that maintain Harrison County’s history. Builder’s Funds are endowment funds not restricted to a particular use, but instead support community needs and projects identified by the HCCF Board of Directors.
“The marker repair and repainting project assures that the history of Harrison County will continue to be interpreted to the thousands of visitors to our county,” Bill Brockman, member of the Historical Society of Harrison County and the volunteer coordinator of historical markers in Harrison County for the Indiana Historical Bureau, said. “We are grateful for all the organizations that have worked together to complete the project.”
SHCD was awarded a grant for architect fees to improve and repair the South Harrison Community Center in Elizabeth. This will help the organization continue to meet community needs.
“SHCD appreciates the architect grant from HCCF,” Sara Deatrick, SHCD board member and Facility Manager, said. “It is allowing the Community Center to begin the process of replacing the aging lighting and sound systems. That means we can continue to offer the community a place to hold events such as family celebrations, festivals, funeral dinners, plus educational and exercise programs.”
In addition to awarding three grants in September, the HCCF also created a new COVID Needs Grant Application that is available at hccfindiana.org. This grant application relates to programmatic expenses affected by COVID-19, and the questions within the application are specific to COVID-19 issues. The HCCF is aiming for this application to help our community’s vital nonprofits continue to provide necessary services during this pandemic.
Nearly $100 million in grants, scholarships, and other support to Harrison County nonprofits and residents has been awarded to date. To learn more about the HCCF grants and policies, visit hccfindiana.org, or contact Anna Curts, Grants Manager, at 812-738-6668 or annac@hccfindiana.org.