The first phase of funding was provided by the Funders Forum Collaborative, a group of funders across Delaware County convened by The Community Foundation to support planning and research efforts of the schools as they updated or developed technology plans for their districts. In June, each of the eight schools received $2,000. The schools were then invited to submit their unique technology resiliency plan to address the needs of their students and teachers later in the summer. The Community Foundation utilized the strategic grants program and solicited gifts from donors with a passion for education to grant an additional $5,000-$8,000 to each school in October. Grants during this second phase totaled $43,000. A third phase was then announced, and The Community Foundation worked with the members of the Funders Forum Collaborative to raise a final pool of funding. The Community Foundation also partnered with the United Way of Delaware, Henry, and Randolph Counties, a member of the Funders Forum, to apply for funding through the Indiana United Ways COVID-19 Economic Relief Initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. A $100,000 grant was awarded from the United Way of Delaware, Henry, and Randolph Counties for the K-12 Technology Resilience Initiative. Other funders came forward to support the initiative as well. And on Giving Tuesday, The Community Foundation asked for individuals to show their support to schools and teachers through their giving. More than 20 donors made a gift. The collective impact of local funders and individual giving resulted in another $182,000 being granted directly back to the eight K-12 public schools in the third, and final, phase of funding.
The K-12 School Technology Resilience Initiative is a sponsored project of United Way of Delaware, Henry, and Randolph Counties and Indiana United Ways, with funding provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.
FUNDING TOTAL FOR PHASES 1 - 3
$18,000
$38,830
$37,000
$17,000
Liberty - Perry Community Schools
$39,130
$44,776
$29,264
$17,000
FUNDERS FORUM As early as 1997, the Funders Forum convened as a way for local funders to discuss community issues and hear from nonprofit organizations about their programs and services. Since then, the group has evolved to include collaborative grantmaking. The first grant was awarded from the Funders Forum in 2017. Since then, the group has pooled resources to grant more than $300,000 to enhance Muncie and Delaware County.
School looks different for students this year, as they use Zoom to participate in classroom activities from home.
Members with the Funders Forum Collaborative include Ball Brothers Foundation, George and Frances Ball Foundation, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Delaware Advancement Corporation/Muncie Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, First Merchants Corporation, Indiana Michigan Power, Harry and Janet Kitselman Foundation Fund, Kiwanis Club of Muncie, Maxon Foundation Fund, Muncie Altrusa Foundation, MutualBank Charitable Foundation, Office of Community Development – City of Muncie, Old National Bank Foundation, Psi Iota Xi, Rotary Club of Muncie, Hamer and Phyllis Shafer Foundation, Tri Kappa, United Way of Delaware, Henry, and Randolph Counties, and the Sherman and Marjorie Zeigler Foundation.
YEAR END TOTALS HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2020
Total Grants by Area of Interest for 2020
Grants totaled........................................................................................$3,635,622 Arts & Culture................................................................................ $236,282 / 6% Community Betterment................................................................ $918,519 / 25% Economic Development.................................................................. $174,369 / 5% Education................................................................................... $1,388,141 / 38% Human Services............................................................................ $688,083 / 19% Scholarships..................................................................................... $230,228 / 6%
Other Year-end results for 2020
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Total contributions................................................................................$3,318,452 Total number of gifts......................................................................................1,137 Total number of donors.....................................................................................538 Total number of new donors.............................................................................126 Total number of new funds.................................................................................10
