From Hilary Canty, Director, Orcas Island Community Foundation
As our community needs continue to grow, so does the Community Foundation’s Annual Grants Program. This year, 34 organizations submitted grant proposals. Of those, 32 proposals were vetted and approved for funding. The requests total over $250,000 to support education, social services, arts, and the environment for our community. The OICF Grants Committee, comprised of four Board members and eight community members, reviewed the proposals and prioritized the opportunities based on OICF’s 2011 Community Needs Assessment. Proposals that aligned strongly with the highest identified needs were given highest priority; second tier proposals address identified needs but may not serve as large a population or as critical a need; and the third tier contains proposals addressing emerging needs and opportunities that are valuable and would be fundable if we had sufficient resources to do it all.
While OICF will allocate a portion of the earnings from its community endowment to these proposals, the total requested far exceeds the funds available. This is where you can shine as a Partner in Philanthropy! In 2012, over $100,000 was distributed thanks to the generosity of friends and neighbors like you.
If you would like to contribute this year, we welcome you to review the list by going to www.oicf.us and clicking on Grants Catalog. You can donate directly online using paypal or a credit card. Or call 376-6423 to receive a hardcopy of the list. To donate by check, mail your contribution (made out to OICF) to PO Box 1496, Eastsound, WA 98245, or drop by the OICF office at 141 Prune Alley, Suite 201. Your participation as a Partner in Philanthropy carries on our island tradition of neighbors helping neighbors.
The grant checks will be distributed at the Grant Awards Celebration, Friday, May 31st, at 2 pm in the Madrona Room at Orcas Center. A highlight of the Grants Celebration will be the presentation of the Youth Grants. The Orcas High senior civics and economics classes identify issues and programs of significance to their lives on Orcas and make grants to organizations that support them. Their selection is kept under wraps until the awards. You are cordially invited attend this great event honoring the people and programs that keep Orcas a wonderful place to call home.
