Springdale, AR— In the spirit of the holiday season, Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation (NWACF) awarded 43 grants totaling $51,675. The grants were made possible through personal donations from board members and friends of the foundation to its unrestricted grant fund. This is the third year that the foundation has made unrestricted grants and the three-year grant total is now $161,898.
Julie Roblee of Fayetteville chaired the grants committee for 2005 and offered these observations on the grantees.
"It is never easy deciding which nonprofit organization is more deserving of a grant. This year, the committee raised the grant amount from a maximum of $1,000 to $1,250, which meant we could do larger projects but we funded fewer agencies," explained Roblee.
Jim von Gremp, chairman of the NWACF Board of Directors, concurred with Roblee's remarks.
"This marks our third straight year to award unrestricted grants and it is always a learning process. Our board learns about the needs in northwest Arkansas and agencies learn about the resources that NWACF has to offer," stated von Gremp.
Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation was founded in 1999 and serves Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington counties. The unrestricted fund can make grants in six key areas including arts and culture, education, environment and animal welfare, health, human services, and public society benefit. 2005 applications were accepted for capacity building, equipment purchases, professional development, and for special projects.
The following organizations received grants:
Adult Development Center of Benton County, Inc., Rogers - $1,250 - Combined Board Retreat
Arkansas Support Network-Bentonville, Bentonville - $1,250 - Staff Training
Arkansas Support Network-Springdale, Springdale - $1,200 - KidsClub Pottery Classes
Arts Center of the Ozarks, Springdale - $1,250 - Box Office Equipment Purchase
Benton County Sunshine School, Bentonville - $1,250 - Lending Library for Parents & Staff
Benton County Women's Shelter, Bentonville - $750 - Staff Retreat
Bentonville School District-Elm Tree Elementary, Bentonville - $1,250 - Assessing Learning Now Pilot
Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas, Springdale - $975 - Jefferson Elementary School-Based Program
Botanical Garden Society of the Ozarks, Inc., Fayetteville - $1,250 - Gift/Membership Software
Boys/Girls Club of Benton County, Bentonville - $1,200 - Staff Training
Carroll Regional Medical Center, Berryville - $1,200 - Carroll County Domestic Violence Program at St. John's
Communication Arts Institute, Eureka Springs - $1,250 - I Read a Book PSA Campaign
Community Clinic - St. Francis House, Springdale - $1,250 - Copier Purchase
Credit Counseling of Arkansas-Fayetteville Branch, Fayetteville - $1,250 - Successful Money Management for Marshallese Families
EOA - Children's House, Springdale - $1,250 - 2 Computers for Teacher Reporting System
Fayetteville Boys and Girls Club, Fayetteville - $1,250 - Youth Performing Arts Program
Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville - $1,250 - Purchase Digital Cameras and Accessories
First Tee of Northwest Arkansas, Bella Vista - $1,250 - Hitting Bay at All-Star Sports Arena
Gentry School District-Gentry Primary School, Gentry - $1,250 - To purchase musical instruments.
Girl Scouts of NOARK Council, Fayetteville - $1,250 - Be Smart! Be Safe!
Greenland, City of (Police Department), Greenland - $1,200 - Child ID Program
Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas, Springdale - $1,250 - GEM Program
Hometown Health Improvement, Fayetteville - $1,250 - Hometown Health Community Outreach
Huntsville School District-Huntsville Middle School, Huntsville - $1,200 - To establish classroom libraries Jones Center for Families (Health & Wellness), Springdale - $1,050 - Parto Preparado (Prepared Childbirth Classes in Spanish)
Legal Aid of Arkansas, Fayetteville - $1,000 - Legal Information Library
Life Styles, Inc., Fayetteville - $1,200 - Creative Arts at Life Styles
Madison County Fair, Huntsville - $1,000 - Educational Booths
Morgan Nick Foundation, Rogers - $1,250 - Latino Education Outreach
New School, Fayetteville - $1,250 - Math & Numeracy Skill Development for Preschool & Kindergarten
Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter, Bentonville - $1,250 - Furnishings for boy and girls recreation rooms
Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, Rogers - $1,250 - Pamphlet Printing
Ozark Natural Science Center, Huntsville - $1,250 - Hiking Trails Maintenance and Upgrades
Richardson Center, Inc., Springdale - $1,000 - Preschool Playground Improvement
Rogers Animal Shelter, Rogers - $1,250 - Resting Benches
Rogers Public Schools-Crossroads Alternative School, Bella Vista - $1,250 - Building Bridges through Adventure Education
Samaritan House Community Center, Rogers - $1,250 - Springdale Soup Kitchen Equipment
Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County, Bentonville - $1,250 - To provide emergency funding for heating and transportation
Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Washington County, Springdale - $1,250 - Strategic Planning & Board Training Retreat & Follow-Up
Southeast Fayetteville Community Center (Yvonne Richardson), Fayetteville - $1,200 - YRCC-Make the Grade
Springdale School District-Jones Elementary School, Springdale - $1,250 - Purchase materials and supplies for Family Fun at the Library (Jones Media Center)
U of A Foundation, Fayetteville - $1,250 - Picture Me Tobacco Free Project
Village Art Club, Inc., Bella Vista - $1,250 - Studio Remodeling Project
NWACF will honor the organizations and their volunteer board of directors at a reception on Wednesday, December 21 from 4-5 p.m. at their Har-Ber Meadows office in Springdale.
The Foundation is a public charity whose mission is to connect donors to their charitable goals. It has given out over $4,760,000 in grants in its six-year history to organizations throughout northwest Arkansas while maintaining administrative expenses under 1 %. The Foundation is a member of the Council on Foundations and has met all national standards for governance and accountability.
