Wood River Valley charities have until Nov. 4 to submit letters of interest for grants of $5,000 to $25,000 from the Wood River Women's Charitable Foundation.
Last year the foundation gave grants totaling $102,000 to seven local nonprofits.
Foundation grants Co-Chair Janet DeBard said the group expects to have a total of $100,000 or more available for grants in 2010. Categories for grants include social services, education, environment, health, cultural arts and recreation. An application form has been sent to more than 100 nonprofit organizations in Blaine County.
Formed in 2005, the foundation has more than 100 members who pledge to donate $1,000 a year. Members may give their entire contribution to the pooled community grants or designate $500 to charities of their choice anywhere in the United States.
The group's stated mission is to "inspire and educate women to become leaders in philanthropy while bringing significant, positive change to the community by pooling our members' resources."
"We hope that by pooling funds, we will have a greater impact than we could as individuals," DeBard said. "We expect the grants to go to projects that will make a significant impact in our community and for which funding otherwise would be unavailable."
The foundation has a two-part application process. Applicants first are asked to fill out a two-page form. After consideration of the letters of interest, a committee will invite selected organizations to submit a full proposal, which will be due Jan. 22. After reviewing the proposals and making site visits, the committee will present recommendations to the membership. The membership will vote on the grant recipients, and funds will be awarded in August 2010.
The emphasis will be on agencies providing services in the Wood River Valley. DeBard said projects for which funding can leverage other dollars will be given special consideration.
Financial administration is provided by the Idaho Community Foundation, a statewide public charity with $55 million in assets and more than 400 individual funds pooled together for efficient management.
For additional information or a copy of the application form, contact DeBard at 726-8583. Women interested in joining the group should contact info@wrwomen.org.
