COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
CORNERSTONE A triannual newsletter of the Blue River Community Foundation Fall 2017 Volume 11 Issue 3
Philanthropy At Work
PHILANTHROPY
AT WORK
Several exciting projects are underway in Shelby County! Thanks to our generous donors, Blue River Community Foundation is making a difference in our community. Below are excellent examples of grant dollars at work because of your giving.
Work is underway on the outdoor lab project at Girls, Inc. and the J. Kenneth Self Shelbyville Boys & Girls Club. The outdoor lab will be utilized by both organizations as part of an ongoing outdoor learning lab program. This project is made possible by funds held at BRCF, including a $150,000 grant from the Cunningham Family Funds to Girls, Inc. and a $500,000 grant from the Joe & Theresa Harlan Fund to the Boys & Girls Club as part of their facility improvement plan. The Shelby County Public Library received BRCF’s $150,000 Ignite Shelby County Grant in 2016 to help fund their Outdoor Community Plaza. The plaza project is one component of their overall renovation plans. Demolition work started in October and the expected completion date of the Plaza is spring/summer 2018. This added feature will help the Library as they pursue their vision of serving as a community center and not just a structure that houses collections of books and provides quiet study space.
www.blueriverfoundation.com
What’s Inside:
Celebrating 30 Years in 2018
BRCF General Scholarships
In 2013, BRCF celebrated their 25th Anniversary by awarding a $100,000 Community Impact Grant. This grant was the catalyst for moving the City of Shelbyville’s Blue River Pedestrian and Bike Trail forward, and specifically the new trailhead on North Harrison. With the support this grant provided, the City has been able to pursue various funding opportunities to help with phases of the trail. Recently, BRCF and the City of Shelbyville hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the main trailhead in celebration of this new amenity for residents of Shelby County.
Grant Highlights
The Southwest Hometown Community Fund and BRCF Community Grant Fund awarded $16,500 to the Southwestern School Corporation to help with the construction of a greenhouse. The structure will be used for various educational purposes for all grade levels. In addition, the produce grown will be used for school lunches and available in the school’s food pantry. The work on the greenhouse has wrapped up and will be ready for use this spring.
Celebrating 30 Years in 2018 In celebration of our 30th anniversary, BRCF will grant over
$300,000 in 2018.
Projects in each of the four geographic quadrants of Shelby County, which includes the communities of Morristown, Waldron, Fairland, and Flat Rock will take center stage. These large grants will fund quality of life projects that are driven by the needs and desires of the local communities. More details are coming soon as these projects begin to take shape. An ongoing goal for BRCF is to be part of large, impactful projects. Investments in public art contribute to community engagement, civic pride, create interest, and can beautify an area. In 2018, the first large-scale public art for Shelbyville will be installed near the Big Blue River crossing on North Harrison. Watch the BRCF Facebook page for more details in the coming months. Keep an eye out over the next 12 months for permanent Blue River Community Foundation signs being installed at some of the larger grant-funded projects. Another 2018 30th anniversary initiative is to showcase the impact BRCF has had over the organization’s 30-year existence. Many generous donors that have created the funds that, in turn, have made these projects possible will be honored on the signs.
2018 General Scholarships
Application DEADLINE: January 15 The application for 2018 BRCF general scholarship opportunities is available on the BRCF website: www.blueriverfoundation.com. The deadline to submit an application is January 15, 2018. High school graduating seniors planning to pursue vocational or undergraduate studies, current college students, graduate students, and adults pursuing or finishing a college degree are eligible to apply. Best of all, completion of the application qualifies applicants for all scholarships administered by BRCF for which they are eligible. Specific criteria, requirements, and instructions for applying, as well as a list scholarships available through the application process, are listed in the BRCF Scholarship Resource Guide for Students located on the Foundation’s website under the Scholarships tab. A hard copy of the publication may also be picked up at any of the five Shelby County High Schools or in the BRCF office. The Foundation has invested over $4.7 million in students pursuing post-secondary education since 1994. This amount represents $1.9 million which has been awarded to Shelby County’s 36 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipients and is made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc., as well as, $2.8 million awarded to more than 2,100 students from BRCF Scholarship Funds. In fact, last spring alone 102 students received $252,000 in awards from 73 scholarship funds administered by BRCF. These scholarship funds are made possible through the generosity of our donors who recognize the tremendous need for assistance in meeting the costs of higher education. For more information on BRCF’s scholarship application process, please contact Julie Alvis at 317.392.7955 ext. 102 or by email at jalvis@blueriverfoundation.com.
2018 BRCF Resource Calendar BRCF’s 2018 Resource Calendar is now available. This publication provides information on our available grant/scholarship opportunities and deadlines. Some of our recent community grants are also highlighted, as well as our donors who have established unrestricted funds for granting. If you would like a hard copy of the calendar, we can mail you a copy, or stop in our office and pick one up.
Grant Highlights During the Foundation’s Fall 2017 round of competitive community grants, four grants were approved for a total of $20,893. These grants are made possible from BRCF’s unrestricted funds and field of interest funds which support arts & culture, health, education, social services, and civic interests in Shelby County. Thanks to our generous donors for their gifts that are making a difference in our community.
Shelby Eastern Schools received a $9,658 grant to expand arts programming in both Morristown and Waldron to include a room at each school for a kiln and supplies for pottery classes. The schools will provide the improvements to the rooms, such as wiring and ventilation, to accommodate the kilns. This grant was made possible from the Blue River Community Foundation Endowment Fund for community grantmaking.
Major Health Partners was awarded a $4,700 grant to support the Baby & Me Tobacco Free program. The hospital’s Maternal Child Navigator, Sharon Hammond, has modeled this program after a highly successful national program, and will work with MHP’s prenatal patients (25.2% of which smoke). MHP has secured other grant funds which required a small local match. The Blue River Community Foundation Endowment Fund for community grantmaking provided the last dollar in grant.
Shelbyville Central Schools received a grant for $4,150 to support the annual musical productions performed at each elementary school. Coulston will perform Aladdin, Hendricks has selected The Grinch, and Loper will take on The Jungle Book. Each school involves the entire 4th and 5th grade classes, as well as, many parent volunteers and staff. The music teachers, fitness teachers, and the art teachers all collaborate on these outstanding productions. The Foundation is proud to continue to support these successful endeavors through the Blue River Community Foundation Endowment Fund.
Triton Central Middle School plans to purchase new stage lighting for their drama program. Their current lighting system is 22 years old and no longer operates reliably. The TCMS Drama Club involves over 50 students each year in building sets and productions. In order to help continue a successful program, BRCF awarded a $2,385 grant from the Blue River Community Foundation Endowment Fund to help with the purchase.
Important Grant Information As part of BRCF’s 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2018, we have lots of exciting things planned. One important change to note is that BRCF will not be offering the normal, two cycles of community grants in 2018. We will be doing a more proactive and directed approach with our community investment granting instead. However, the City and County Racino Grant Opportunities will still be available. Those grant applications are available on BRCF’s website and will be due by August 1st, 2018. We will continue to provide more information and updates as we move forward, so be sure to watch the BRCF e-newsletters, Facebook page, and website to stay informed. Should you have any questions or would like to chat with us about our grant programs, please feel free to contact Lynne Ensminger at lensminger@blueriverfoundation.com or 317.392.7955 ext. 103.
Blue River Community Foundation 54 W. Broadway, Suite 1, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176 T: 317.392.7955 F: 317.392.4545 brf@blueriverfoundation.com www.blueriverfoundation.com
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
BRCF OFFICE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE December: 25 & 26 closed January: 1 closed
Support Your Community Through Your IRA If you are 70½ or older, you may make a qualified distribution from your IRA before the end of 2017 in support of charitable causes in Shelby County. An IRA Charitable Rollover might benefit you if: •
You have sufficient income but must still take the required minimum distribution.
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Your required distribution, if paid to you, would put you in a higher tax bracket or cause more of your Social Security income to be taxed.
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You have already reached your charitable deduction limits based on your adjusted gross income (AGI).
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You do not itemize your tax deductions.
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You want to spend down your IRA assets because of the tax burden on your heirs once these assets are inherited by someone other than your spouse.
To learn more, contact Amy Haacker at the Blue River Community Foundation at ahaacker@blueriverfoundation.com or 317.392.7955. As always, cash gifts to BRCF are fully deductible to the extent allowable.