VOL. XXX NO.2
JULY 2020
L E G A C Y
Flags of Honor hosted by Muncie Exchange Club
Where neighbors create legacies
LET’S TALK
A LOCAL RESPONSE TO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
A month ago, our 2019 Annual Report – Faces of the Foundation should have landed in your mailbox. I hope you enjoyed the vibrant photos and stories of your neighbors and friends who serve the Foundation as volunteers on our Board of Directors and other committees. The dedication of our volunteers is never in question, but they have stepped up over the last three months to support the Foundation’s response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community. With the announcement of the state-wide shutdown, the Board of Directors provided guidance for emergency grantmaking to run alongside our regular grantmaking to ensure we were reacting to the community’s most urgent needs while keeping sight of long-term quality of life in Delaware County. Our Competitive Grants Committee reviewed second quarter grant applications and made recommendations for grants in our five broad areas of grantmaking. Our Investment Committee evaluated our market performance and set a plan in motion to rebalance our investments to respond to economic fluctuations. Our Scholarship Committees met electronically to review applications and ensure our community’s graduating seniors would be recognized for their hard work. In this issue of Legacy, we share how we continue to respond to the impact of COVID-19. However, as this publication went to print, we see our country and our community face not only the pandemic, but economic devastation, tragic societal inequities, and civil unrest. Foundation staff, Board, and other volunteers have engaged in discussion and education regarding racial and social injustice. We are committed to continuing these conversations with nonprofit partners and generous supporters, like you. As it becomes safe again, we are looking forward to seeing you in person. In the meantime, we are never more than a phone call, email, or Zoom meeting away.
Kelly K. Shrock, President
Volunteers for Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana distribute food during a tailgate distribution in March.
T
his winter, we watched the coronavirus move through China, across Asia, into Europe, and across the world. When the first case of the coronavirus arrived in Delaware County on March 19, 2020, we already knew there would be significant implications from the pandemic in our community. Foundation staff had already begun reaching out to local nonprofits to understand what challenges they were facing, what they expected to be coming next, and how we could best assist. Under direction from the Board, grantees were offered the opportunity to redirect grant funds from their original purpose to their new greatest need. Emergency grants were awarded. Instead of being invested, gifts to The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation were temporarily redirected to emergency response. In April, The Community Foundation announced a three-phase approach to grantmaking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Emergency Phase, Recovery Phase, and Resilience Phase. Much like the timeline of the pandemic, the timing of these phases is unknown, and we anticipate that all three may occur concurrently. However, each phase addresses a different need of the organizations serving our community.
continued on page 2
