The Johnson County Community Foundation recently awarded nearly $120,000 in grants to community organizations.
In the coming months, agencies will be able to provide better counseling services to children, build ramps for residents to safely get in and out of their homes, and distribute more aid to families who have lost everything in a fire.
Kids can continue to enjoy after-school snacks at the Boys and Girls Club of Johnson County, and Indian Creek schools can open up a food pantry to serve students.
Through its latest round of unrestricted grants, the Johnson County Community Foundation pledged support for these and 10 other projects, distributing more than $118,000 to a variety of causes. The grants were announced on Jan. 25.
Grant awards include funding for children’s programming, local food insecurity needs, arts programming, health and human services programming.
“In this cycle we have grants that will make an impact in feeding children during their afterschool care, impacts in the arts through equipment purchases for future shows, as well as feeding those individuals in our county who are food insecure,” said Stephanie Fox, program officer for grants and scholarships for the foundation. “That is the wonderful thing about our unrestricted programming — we are able to make an impact in a variety of fields.”
The Johnson County Community Foundation manages an extensive grants program, which annually offers grants to nonprofit organizations for charitable programs and projects in Johnson County.
These particular grants were part of the 2022 Smalls Unrestricted Granting cycle. The Smalls cycle required that requests be no more than $15,000 for programs serving Johnson County residents.
“Our Unrestricted funds are set aside by donors to specifically go back into our community to serve in a variety of ways. These grants are part of our overall mission of enhancing the quality of life for all citizens of Johnson County,” Fox said.
Funding was awarded based on a variety of criteria, including number of people served, organizational impact and the ability for the project to continue into future, said David Payne, chair of the foundation’s grants committee.
“We’re looking for programs that are going to have the greatest impact on our community,” he said.
Recipients include Bridges Alliance of Johnson County to support its Circles Johnson County program fighting the cycle of poverty; Resources of Hope to assist in retaining foster parents, and Turning Point Domestic Violence Services for emergency flexible funding for program participants seeking safety.
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana was given $8,802 for a school-based food pantry at Indian Creek schools. Indiana Phenology received $3,822.90 to support its “Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Girl Scout event.
Other grants went to Firefly Children and Family Alliance, Johnson County Senior Services, Recover Out Loud and Society of St. Andrews.
For the Johnson County Community Foundation, being able to support these different efforts is confirmation of its everyday goal, Fox said.
“It means we are putting the money that has been entrusted to us through donations from our own community members straight back into serving the community,” she said.
AT A GLANCE
Johnson County Community Foundation 2022 Smalls Unrestricted Grants
What: Grants of no more than $15,000 for programs serving Johnson County residents.
Total awarded: $118,444.90
Grant recipients
American Red Cross — financial assistance for home fire relief, $10,000
Boys & Girls Club of Johnson County — after-school snacks, $15,000
Bridges Alliance of Johnson County — Circles Johnson County, $15,000
Creative Grounds Fine Arts Academy — audio equipment for spring musicals “Bright Star,” “Little Mermaid Jr.” and “Lion King Kids,” $7,500
Firefly Children & Family Alliance Expanded Therapy Services in Johnson County $6,000.00
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana — Indian Creek school-based Pantry, $8,802
Indiana Phenology — “ Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Girl Scout event, $3,822.90
Indiana Women in Need Foundation (IWIN Foundation) — Johnson County Survivors program, $2,400
Johnson County Senior Services — Seniors Suffering in Silence, $6,000
Little Red Door Cancer Agency — support services, $3,000
Recover Out Loud — Crossroads of Recovery, $5,000
Resources of Hope — foster parent retention program, $7,920
Servants at Work — Ramp Up Johnson County, $10,000
Society of Saint Andrew — The Indiana Gleaning Network, $3,000
Turning Point Domestic Violence Services — emergency flexible funding for program participants seeking safety, $15,000
Information: www.jccf.org/grant-recipients
