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Heritage Fund Annual Report to the Community - Archived Article

Heritage Fund Annual Report to the Community
May 21, 2009
Connecting the Dots....Needs......Community......Giving

Heritage Fund grants push collaboration
BY BRIAN BLAIR bblair@therepublic.com May 22, 2009

A new twist on an old funding idea can give hope to nonprofits needing an extra boost this year — and promote collaboration at the same time, according to Heritage Fund officials.
That’s the idea behind the change in technical assistance grants from The Heritage Fund: the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. It was announced during the foundation’s annual meeting Thursday at YES Cinema.
A total of $50,000, up to $4,000 for each selected organization, is available to agencies collaborating with others on a project, according to guidelines.
That theme of joining hands was highlighted by the meeting’s theme of “Connecting the Dots: Collaborating With Others to Address Community Needs.”
Though 23 technical assistance grants were awarded last year, they did not require the collaborative approach. The tweaking came after a Heritage Fund meeting with area nonprofits in March.
Collaboration and teamwork to conserve money and other resources was the theme of that gathering.
Housing Partnerships President Mark Lindenlaub said his agency’s work with Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center would be perfect for such a grant.
“We’re already thinking about ways we can work creatively with resources like that,” said Lindenlaub.
The Columbus Area Arts Council’s Warren Baumgart liked the idea, too.
“At the Arts Council,” Baumgart said, “we feel like we’re pretty good at collaborating already, so that doesn’t scare us. And sometimes, we realize it gives us the opportunity to work with somebody who might not be able to get a grant like that on their own.”
Deadline for applications is July. Money will be awarded in August.

In other highlights, the foundation:
• Presented its James A. Henderson Fundraising Award to Al Roszczyk for his role in helping raise more than $6 million for the planned Mill Race Center.“If ever this award should go the entire community,” said Roszczyk, “it’s now.”
• Saluted departing board members Laura Hurt and Rick Johnson.
• Heard reports from agencies supported by grants last year, from Eastside Community Center to the Bartholomew County Long Term Flood Recovery Team.
• Heard on update on Economic Opportunities Through Education 2015 project to boost area residents’ education and employment level.