Community foundation grants help groups make major improvements

For 10 local organizations, a wealth of opportunity and a brighter future is ahead.

Through a new grant program offered by the Johnson County Community Foundation, area groups will be able to support local students, buy land to provide housing for area families and create a safer, improved playground.

The Historic Artcraft Theatre will get needed safety features and start planning for future renovations. Franklin Community High School’s FFA will have a new barn for large animals.

And the Humane Society of Johnson County can open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.

“I know our four-legged friends, if they had voices, would say, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’” said Anne Sutton, executive director of the Humane Society.

The Johnson County Community Foundation gathered grant recipients and other supporters at its Franklin headquarters Thursday morning to announce and celebrate the first round of Capital and Capacity Building Community Projects. More than $855,000 was awarded, and as the recipients need to match the grants they receive, the overall impact will be more than $1.7 million.

Grants ranged from $250,000 to $10,000. But regardless of the amount, each award has the potential to make Johnson County a better place, said Kim Kasting, executive director and CEO of the community foundation.

“This is a monumental moment for us. We’ve not been able to do this ever before, so all of the funds raised will go right back here in our local community to serve our community members,” she said. “We’re so excited and so proud of all of you. There have been so many volunteers and community who have put their hearts into these organizations to where they are today, so we’re forever grateful for you.”

The Capital and Capacity Building Community Projects Matching Grant Cycle came about in March, after the Johnson County Community Foundation received a matching fund grant totaling $3 million as part of the eighth phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s initiative, Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow.

The Lilly Endowment awarded matching fund grants totaling $133.8 million to community foundations serving all 92 of Indiana’s counties. Eligible community foundations submitted proposals requesting grants ranging from $100,000 to $15 million based on the population of the counties they serve.

The Johnson County Community Foundation opted to use $2.1 million for unrestricted endowment building, while the other $900,000 went towards the Capital and Capacity Building Community Projects matching grant program. Grants were designated to go toward community projects and programs, as well as capacity-building activities.

“We were really looking for something that would be transformative for the organization — move the organization forward,” said David Payne, chair of the grants committee for Johnson County Community Foundation. “We think we’ve uncovered some great organizations.”

Organizations took full advantage.

The most significant grant was $250,000 for the Humane Society, which plans to open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic. The clinic will have the ability to spay or neuter 3,600 animals in the first year, eliminating 20,000 births of unwanted homeless animals in the process, Sutton said.

“We’re so excited to make the difference that we need to do. I can’t express how happy we are. We manifested this as a board two years ago, and for it to finally come to fruition, is incredible,” she said.

Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County was awarded $134,000. Leaders plan to use the funding to help buy land to build affordable homes for area families looking to move into their first home.

“Land here in Johnson County is scarce and the prices have skyrocketed. It really is a burden to find land so we can build affordable housing,” said Lee Ann Wilbur, executive director at Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County. In addition, a portion of the grant will provide a new roof for its ReStore in Whiteland, as well as a new box truck to pick up items.

Franklin Community High School FFA Alumni and Supporters were provided with $100,000, which will be used to build a new barn to house large animals and further enhance its agricultural program, said Kent Grose, president of Franklin Community High School FFA Alumni and Supporters.

“You can imagine having a 1,500, 1,600-pound steer parked out behind the high school,” he said. “We don’t have that facility to do that. This will allow us to build that education center, and I think expose more students to agricultural opportunities.”

Another $100,000 was awarded to SS Francis and Clare of Assisi Catholic School to make improvements to its early-childhood playground, said Rebecca Stone, principal of the school.

Upstream Prevention, a local organization aimed at promoting public health, was given $100,000 to help purchase and create a new community facility to house offices as well as host events such as support groups.

“It is something that was going to happen, but this helps it happen much faster,” said Kathleen Ratcliff, executive director of Upstream Prevention. “This money and the money we’ll match with will be used to turn our building into an accessible community space.”

Greenwood Education Foundation plans to use $81,000 to establish an endowment and start a capital campaign to ensure the group can keep serving Greenwood students, said Tiffany Woods, the foundation’s executive director.

Franklin Heritage, the conservation group that operates the Artcraft, received $50,000 for safety lighting upgrades throughout the entire theater. A portion of the money will also be used to hire a historical theater architect to start planning renovations to lighting, sound and more to make the theater a fully functioning multi-use space, said George Chimples, director of development and film for Franklin Heritage.

“It will be open a lot more days to the public, there will be a lot more kinds of events — more movies, more shows, more live music, more everything, that’s the plan,” he said. “We need that architect to come in and tell us what is possible.”

A $15,000 grant for Bridges Alliance of Johnson County will provide funds to hire a development officer for the anti-poverty organization. Imagination Library of Johnson County received $15,000 to hire a part-time director to direct its mission of providing books for children throughout the county.

Servants at Work, which builds wooden ramps for residents in need locally, will use its $10,000 to test building aluminum ramps.

“This is a difference-making thing for us. We need to get to people who are aging in place a lot quicker. We need to prioritize people who are on dialysis and chemotherapy to get them their ramps. We need to reduce that churn time from four to six weeks down to two weeks,” said Tim Thurston, executive director of Servants at Work. “This is going to make it happen.”

Recipients will now focus on matching the funds they received from the Johnson County Community Foundation, which the grant money is dependent on.

“We have some extremely wonderful programs, quality programs that, once those matching dollars are matched, will translate to $1.7 million that are going out into the community to some nonprofit organizations,” Payne said.

AT A GLANCE

Johnson County Community Foundation

Capital and Capacity Building Community Projects Matching Grants

What: A major matching grant program by the foundation to help organizations raise money for community projects or capacity-building activities.

Who: Johnson County Community Foundation

Amount awarded: $855,000

Grants

• Humane Society of Johnson County: $250,000
• Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County: $134,000
• Franklin Community High School FFA Alumni and Supporters: $100,000
• Upstream Prevention: $100,000
• SS Francis and Clare of Assisi Catholic School: $100,000
• Greenwood Education Foundation: $81,000
• Franklin Heritage: $50,000
• Imagination Library of Johnson County: $15,000
• Bridges Alliance of Johnson County: $15,000
• Servants at Work: $10,000