27 Jul 2020 Grants awarded to local nonprofits

Posted at 11:12 AMh in News by

The Community Foundation of Faulkner County, an affiliate of Arkansas Community Foundation, recently announced $34,000 in grants for nonprofits in Faulkner County. The grants were awarded in March and included the Giving Tree, Stop Hunger and Grade Level Reading grants. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the annual Celebration Luncheon could not be held safely. Instead, the affiliate worked with FretMonkey to create a video to recognize the good work done by the 28 recipients. (Go to arcf.org/affiliates/faulkner-county to see the video.)  

 “This year we received requests totaling over $154,000 from 48 organizations. The Grants Committee used our local Aspire data to guide the recommendation process,” said Shelley Mehl, executive director of the Faulkner County affiliate. This year the affiliate qualified for special state matching funds of $2,400 for capacity building and animal welfare requests.

“Our Giving Tree program helps Arkansans support a variety of important needs in their own hometowns,” said Heather Larkin, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Funding for our Giving Tree grants comes from local individuals and families who want to improve their community. We invest their donations in endowments that provide a permanent source of funding for local charitable causes.” 

The programs awarded cover all four of the Aspire pillars, Education, Families, Health and Community. (More information about Aspire Arkansas can be found at aspirearkansas.org.)  

Many of the grants awarded were related to food insecurity. 

  • The Faulkner County Council on Aging received funds to purchase a new minivan for its home-delivered meals program. 
  • Mount Vernon Baptist Church purchased a freezer for its food pantry.
  • CAPCA purchased fresh food for its Student Empowerment Market.

The Community Foundation of Faulkner County makes grants through the Giving Tree and Stop Hunger programs annually. The next grant cycle will begin in January 2021. More information about Community Foundation grants is available at arcf.org.

Arkansas Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that fosters smart giving to improve communities. The Community Foundation offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs. By making grants and sharing knowledge, the Community Foundation supports charitable programs that work for Arkansas and partners to create new initiatives that address the gaps.  

Since 1976, the Community Foundation has provided more than $250 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve neighborhoods, towns and the entire state. Opening its doors in 2001, the Faulkner County affiliate has returned more than $4.79 million in grants to nonprofits. Contributions to the Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 28 affiliates are fully tax deductible.