Flexibility in Funding Helps Boys & Girls Clubs Embrace Opportunities

A handful of children looked up from where they were sitting as I walked into the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie’s Madison Street location on a Friday morning in late September. They were busy with school work after a local elementary school had shut down due to a water main break.

While much of Boys & Girls Clubs programming is for out of-school time, the Clubs opened their doors during the unexpected school closing. At the Club, students could access the internet to log on to their classes, play with friends, eat lunch and snacks, and connect with a caring adult, a Youth Development Professional.

“I consider the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie to be a support network for the kids of Muncie and Delaware County,” explained Jason Newman, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie. “We do that by supporting our kids with their school work and social-emotional learning and providing outlets through programming.”

Tony creates at the Clubs

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie offers a wide range of programming. Kindergarteners through high school aged kids can develop leadership skills, engage in the arts, improve literacy, learn about careers, play sports, and improve their health and wellness. At the heart of these activities is a caring team of adults working, playing, and genuinely caring about the kids daily.

“That’s why kids come here,” explained Jason. “It’s the people we have who just take a moment to listen or notice when they’re doing something good.”

For over a decade, The Community Foundation has supported the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie with grant funding from The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation and other funds. These grants have generally funded the operations of Clubs, specifically programming and the staff needed to work with the Club members. In 2022, The Community Foundation awarded Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie a flexible operating grant of $67,500.

The Foundation understands nonprofit organizations know what they need to be successful. To align with philanthropic-industry trends and best practices for a more flexible approach to grantmaking, The Community Foundation welcomed trusted nonprofit partners with a history of operating support grants to apply for flexible operating dollars in 2022. Awarded grant dollars could be used as needed for core mission support during the grant period. Core mission support is vital to a nonprofit organization. It typically includes staffing across all programs as well as finance, human resources, governance, technology, and fundraising.

The timing was just right for the Boys & Girls Club. When the school year wrapped up last year, the Clubs regularly saw about four middle school-aged kids daily. This year, the number in that group has risen to 20-30 each day.

“We weren’t prepared for an almost six-fold increase in teen participation,” Jason explained. The funding flexibility allowed him to shift staffing to teen programming.

Nonprofit organizations should be mission-driven and governed by a board of directors. Flexible funding for core mission support comes with the trust that the grant dollars will be put to good use within the organization. That trust is built between nonprofit leaders and Foundation staff, who build strong relationships through open and honest conversations.

“We are responsible for being transparent about both when we are succeeding and our failures. Not every program is going to run as effectively as we want it to,” said Jason. “We need to share what went wrong and what we can do to shift and to make it better.”

Donors to The Community Foundation’s Unrestricted Fund have a similar trust in The Community Foundation. The Unrestricted Fund supports community grantmaking, even as the needs of the community change. Gifts to The Unrestricted Fund allow The Community Foundation to engage in the community, learn about opportunities, and support nonprofit organizations as they apply for funding to address their needs. Supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs with operating funds provides children in the community a place to spend time with caring adults while exploring interests and activities.

Today, through The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation and other community grantmaking funds, The Community Foundation offers flexible funding for core mission support through our community grants. As we continue to grow our grantmaking, nonprofit partnerships may include a more streamlined application process, multiyear funding options, additional capacity building and institutional strengthening opportunities, and a results-focused experience for our grants committees.

The continued growth of The Unrestricted Fund ensures The Community Foundation can embrace the opportunities of nonprofits in our community working to make this community a better place today, tomorrow, and always.

Clubs kids decorate community locker.