Guest Opinion: Community Foundation Seeks Partners in Philanthropy

Contributed by Hilary Canty, Executive Director, Orcas Island Community Foundation

The Orcas Island Community Foundation 2010 Grants cycle is in full swing. Come join the fun!

Partners in Philanthropy are individuals, organizations and businesses who collaborate with OICF in granting funds to the Orcas community. OICF funds grants through investment returns from the community endowment, but that is only part of the story.  The Partners program, now in its 5th year, supports projects and organizations that match donors’ areas of interest.  The OICF grants committee, made up of trustees and community volunteers, carefully assesses all proposals and requires that all grantees report the impact of funded programs.  Partners review the committee’s vetted and prioritized proposal list and can choose to fully or partially fund one or more projects, or contribute to the overall pool for the committee to distribute.  Over the years, Partner contributions have ranged from $100 to $10,000.

This year, OICF has received 33 proposals from 31 nonprofits, requesting a total of $185,000.  This is an increase of nearly ten percent over the amount sought in 2009.  Many applications are seeking assistance for basic salary and operating expenses as a result of the ongoing economic downturn.

In 2009, Partners contributed $41,139 to the grants cycle, and the impact of these funds was made even greater by a successful application to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Last year, the Gates Foundation invited select Washington community foundations to apply for grants to help meet local needs, and the amount available to grant was based on the amount of funding committed through our annual community grants cycle.  Thanks to the Partners’ support, OICF received a Gates grant of $30,000 which was immediately put to work in the community through several nonprofits. Between Partners, OICF funds and the Gates Foundation, the 2009 grants cycle provided $108,366 to Orcas nonprofit organizations.  In a year when the nation was dealing with a recession, this was 70% increase over 2008 grant allocations.

OICF intends to seek additional funding for our community through off island grants in 2010.  The more our community gives through the grants cycle, the more we are able to request from other funding sources, as evidenced last year.

If you are interested in becoming a Partner in Philanthropy, or would like to learn more about the annual grants cycle or the Community Foundation, please contact Hilary Canty at the OICF office, 376-6423.