OVERVIEW: The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County supports arts and culture, health, human services, parks, community development, youth and education in Indiana.
IP TAKE: The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County has an important position in the county “as a local leader.” This is a transparent funder that gives grantseekers access to its financial statements and most recent funded projects. Every CFSJC grant cycle is a bit different, so contact the program staff to learn more about the various funds held here and where the most relevant opportunities are. Use the online contact form or reach out to staff directly.
PROFILE: Established in 1992, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County (CFSJC) is a community foundation based in South Bend, Indiana. The foundation administers over 80 funds and awards grants and scholarships. The foundation aims to “improve the quality of life for the citizens of St. Joseph County and their succeeding generations.” It funds local efforts for arts and culture, health, human services, parks, community development, youth and education.
Grants for Community Development
The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County awards approximately $10 million in grants each year from its endowed funds, scholarship funds, designated funds, and a competitive grantmaking process.
The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County awards Competitive Grants processes in three areas:
ArtsEverywhere Grants work to support local artists and instill pride in the community, as well as increase the capacity and strengthen leadership of arts organizations. See recent Arts Everywhere grantees here.
Special Project Grants support nonprofits focused on community development and human services, youth, health, education, the environment, and parks and recreation. See recent Special Project grantees here.
Senior Living Grants support organizations and programs that increase the health, safety, and independence of St. Joseph County senior citizens. See recent Senior Living grantees here.
CFSJC’s Competitive Grants initiatives do not typically award ongoing operating expenses but rather focus on new initiatives, program expansions and capital needs.
In addition to grantmaking, the community foundation also supports St. Joseph County and its residents through what it calls Leadership Initiatives. These include:
The African American Community Fund seeks to improve “the quality of life for African Americans in St. Joseph County.” See recent African American Community Fund efforts here.
The Leighton Award for Nonprofit Excellence assists charities demonstrating nonprofit “superior leadership, management, and programming” with $175,000 prizes. See a list of past Leighton Award winners here.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The foundation’s primary source of support for arts and culture groups in the community is its ArtsEverywhere initiative. These grants go to dance, theater, music, literature, and visual arts groups; they focus on new initiatives, program expansions, and capital needs rather than ongoing operating expenses.
The ArtsEverywhere initiative’s three funding categories are:
Capacity Building grants seek to strengthen arts organizations and programs through “strategic planning, board and staff training, site visits to leading peer organizations, technological advancements, consultant and professional services, and executive leadership training,” etc. They are matching grants of up to $10,000.
Program or Project Support grants support visual and performing arts related programs, including “concerts, theater productions, visual art exhibits, presenter touring programs, artist residencies in schools or other community settings.” These are matching grants of up to $10,000.
Major Venture Funding grants support organizations with programs or projects that will make “a significant and sustainable” impact on arts and culture in the county. Projects that are collaborative, designed to extend beyond the initial grant period, and that increase public participation in the arts, elevate artistic quality, and support local artists receive special consideration. These are matching grants of up to $50,000 per year for up to three years.
ArtsEverywhere’s full guidelines are here and recent grants are here.
The foundation’s other significant source of arts funding is its partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission, through which, CFSJC works to promote and expand arts participation in its six-county region, which includes Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall, Starke, and St. Joseph counties.
The application process for Indiana Arts Commission Partnership grants is competitive and arts groups located in the counties of Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall, St. Joseph, and Starke are eligible to apply. Grants fall into two categories:
Arts Project Support grants help fund a specific project. This can include “a single performance, an exhibition, a workshop, or a series of related arts activities such as art classes or training sessions that are open to the public whether free or for a fee.”
Arts Organization Support grants provide annual operating support for eligible arts organizations.
Grants for Early Childhood Education and Higher Education
CFSJC has an early childhood education initiative, pursues early literacy efforts, and offers a fellowship for students in the state-funded 21st Century Scholarship program.
Early Years Count Education Initiative was seeded with a donation from the Lilly Endowment and works with Family Connection of St Joseph County “to give disadvantaged children a fair start.” It provides mini-grants through the Early Childhood Assessment Project, which evaluates the initiative’s effectiveness, to teachers for professional development and training in effective classroom techniques. The foundation has given more than $2 million to Family Connection of St Joseph County since 2001, primarily to support the Early Years Count Education Initiative.
The 21st Century Success Fellowship provides $5,000 per year to St. Joseph County 21st Century Scholars pursuing a degree from a college or university in the county.
Scholarships are available for students a pursuing a degree from a college or university located in St. Joseph County, Indiana. The foundation gives out nearly a million dollars in scholarships annually.
Important Grant Details
Grants typically range between about $2,000 and $20,000, but they have gone as high as $900,000. The foundation awarded nearly $10 million in grants in a recent year and held more than $255 million in assets.
Grantmaking focuses exclusively on St Joseph County, Indiana.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits through its online grant system.
This is followed by an initial committee meeting for review, possible site visit, and recommendation to the board.
Direct general questions to the staff at 574-232-0041 or to individual staff members by email.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
