Community Foundation Awards $155,000 to Five Local Nonprofits for Education, Service to Vulnerable Individuals and Families in Indian River County

(Vero Beach, Fla.  – January 13, 2020) Indian River Community Foundation recently awarded grants totaling $155,000 to nonprofit charitable organizations serving Indian River County. The grants were reviewed by a Grants Committee comprised of volunteers Scott Alexander, Dale Jacobs, Mike McManus, Sandy Rolf and Larry Salustro and awarded from the Community Enrichment Fund.

The two largest grants from this most recent cycle was awarded for $50,000 to serve families and single men transitioning from homelessness.  One $50,000 grant will go to the Hope for Families Center, and the other $50,000 grant will go to Camp Haven.

“This grant will support our programs that aim to reduce family homelessness in Indian River County,” said Hope for Families Board Chairman Dr. William “Bill” Cooney. “Over the past several years, funding from the Community Foundation has helped tremendously with our efforts to become better at what we do.”

The $50,000 grant to Camp Haven will be used to help support construction of a new multi-purpose building for the organization’s residential campus.  According to Chuck Bradley, Executive Director, “Camp Haven is the only local facility dedicated to helping single homeless men with transitional housing while they work to break the cycle of homelessness.  This support will make a real difference.”

Other grants awarded from this most recent cycle include the following:

• Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative -- $15,000 to support the 2020 Pre-K Party and Kindergarten Roundup.
• Economic Opportunities Council of Indian River County -- $15,000 to support the Early Bird Program to provide early education to 17 low income children at Dodgertown Elementary School.
• Ballet Vero Beach -- $25,000 to support educational programming for school-aged children in Indian River County.

While most of the Community Foundation’s grants are awarded by clients through donor advised funds, Indian River Community Foundation’s competitive grant program is made possible through the generosity of anonymous donors to several grantmaking funds, including the Community Enrichment Fund and the Better Giving Fund.  These valuable resources support the Community Foundation’s mission of building a better community through donor-driven philanthropy.

Indian River Community Foundation was established in 2008 with a mission of building a better community through donor-driven philanthropy.  With assets of $70 million in 175 charitable giving accounts, the Community Foundation and its clients have awarded more than $66 million in grants, mostly to nonprofit charitable organizations located in Indian River County, Florida.  Visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org to learn more.