$41,440 in Grants Awarded to Methow Valley Nonprofits

10 April 2013

Ann Henry, Barry Stromberger, Becki Studden, Beth Stipe, and Denny O'Callahan stand under a trailhead shelter provided by the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association.The Community Foundation of NCW has awarded $41,440 in grants to 16 nonprofit organizations from the Methow Valley. In 2006, the Methow Valley Fund was established at the Community Foundation to create sustainable funding for a healthy, vibrant Methow Valley. Funded by donors throughout the valley, the Methow Valley Fund provides grants up to $5,000 to 501c3 organizations that address local community needs and enhancements.

Here is the list of this year’s award recipients by area of interest:

Art, Culture, and Humanities

• Confluence Gallery and Art Center - $2,000 for roof remodel
• Merc Playhouse - $1,770 for administrative support for expanded programming
• Methow Field Institute (Methow Valley Interpretive Center) - $1,370 for storage area for archives  

Education 

• Classroom in Bloom  - $2,500 for general operations; staff time for garden education and garden maintenance; curriculum training by Facing the Future
• Liberty Bell High School  - $2,000 for science expeditions with Salish Seas for 10th grade biology classes
• Methow Arts - $3,000 to support arts education programs in the Methow Valley School District
• Methow Valley Elementary School - $2,500 for science based expeditions for 4th and 5th graders
• Methow Valley Elementary School - $1,000 for Annual Young Writer’s conference
• Methow Valley School District - $5,000 for mental health counselor to provide direct services to students who suffer from social and emotional trauma  

Health and Human Services

• Family Planning Association of Chelan-Douglas Counties - $3,600 for staff training at Twisp Family Planning Clinic; providing a part time Spanish-speaking staff person
• Methow Valley Sports Trails Association - $2,000 for improvements to the kiosk/shelter at the Suspension Bridge trailhead
• Room One - $2,500 for general operations; staff training, implementation, and management of new client tracking database; wages for Client Services staff
• Valley Teen Center - $2,500 for a VISTA volunteer for the next two years  

Public / Social Benefit 

• Methow Valley Community Center - $2,700 for drapes for the windows in the gymnasium/auditorium
• Town of Twisp - $4,000 for design/engineering plan for a non-motorized community trail along the river and within town limits
• Twisp PDA (TwispWorks) - $3,000 for general operations; staff time on fundraising, board training, and case statement development

Manson Students Award $10,000 to Teachers

12 February 2013

ASB student Javis Escalera awards a grant to Elementary Music Teacher Andrea Whitney

In January, the Associated Student Body (ASB) at Manson High School convened to review grant applications submitted by their own teachers and awarded $10,000 to winners for various school needs. 

Created by Manson residents and business owners Jack and Gale Courtney, the Manson Great Giving Grants (G3) provide an opportunity for class officers to make their school a better place while also participating in the grant-making process. The ASB students collectively reviewed 18 applications, had thoughtful discussion, determined 12 final recipients, and distributed awards to elementary, middle, and high school teachers.  

Managed by the Community Foundation of NCW, the grants provide funding for school needs and enhancements, and a valuable learning experience for the ASB students. 

The following are this year's Manson G3 recipients and their awards: 

Elementary

Jay Fox, PE Teacher - $500 for a lockable ball cart

Carman Fretwell, Special Education - $250 for sensory materials for special needs students

Kavla Helleson, School Counselor - $325 for Kelso's Choice, conflict resolution curriculum for grades K-5

Heather Ireland, Principal - $600 for 5th Annual Family Math Night

Andrea Whitney, Music Teacher - $1,000 for music curriculum and mallets 

Middle School

Tara Janet, Science and Erick Helleson, Math - $875 for probes and interface units for ipads for science department projects

Chas Pauly, PE/Math/Science - $2,000 for weight room equipment

Phil Thomas, Art Teacher - $1,550 for art display case 

High School

Kamie Kronbauer, Math Teacher - $200 for multiple math projects

Don Vanderholm, Principal and Kristy Nelson, Administrative Secretary - $1,500 for academic awards ceremony 

Secondary Support Staff

Karoline Martin, Librarian - $800 for library books

Adelina Velasco, Parent Involvement Coordinator - $400 for daycare to support parents taking GED preparation classes 

CONGRATULATIONS teachers, staff, and students!

CFNCW Receives $50,000 Grant for New Technology

18 January 2013

The new online application system will reduce paper waste and staff hours.The Community Foundation of NCW has received a $50,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust that will fund a new financial and account management system. The software, purchased from Blackbaud, Inc. (a renowned nonprofit software company with 27,000 customers worldwide), will provide significant upgrades to streamline processes and increase donor services for the foundation.

“We are extremely excited for this opportunity to enhance our donors’ and fundholders’ ability to access and manage their funds,” said Beth Stipe, executive director. “This new system will also make many of our operating procedures much more efficient.”

Staff at the foundation are currently being trained on the new system and plan to go live with the software in mid-August. Once the implementation is complete, all grants and scholarship applications will be exclusively online. “We will be eliminating hundreds of pounds of paper and many hours of staff time moving to an online only process” said Stipe. “Applying for grants and scholarships is going to be so much easier for our nonprofits and students.”

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust provides grant opportunities to Pacific Northwest nonprofit organizations that seek to strengthen the region. To receive a grant, agencies must first submit a Letter of Inquiry and if accepted, are then given an invitation to apply. Between 2007-2011, Washington State received $16.6 million in grants – 10% of the total grant distribution by the trust.

“We are so grateful to the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust for this opportunity” added Stipe. “It’s going to shape our internal infrastructure to support our growth long term.”

Ending Poverty through Education Initiative Provides Reading Program and Classroom Grants to NCW Schools

09 January 2013

Community Foundation of NCW and Chelan-Douglas United Way partner through a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant

The Community Foundation of NCW and Chelan-Douglas United Way have partnered to develop an Ending Poverty through Education initiative that is focusing on improving K-12 reading levels and increasing student engagement in schools across North Central Washington.

Through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CFNCW, and United Way of Chelan and Douglas Counties are working with Intermountain AmeriCorps to develop a reading program that will work to achieve 90% of students reading at grade level in 15 of the region’s low income elementary schools. Out of 35 elementary schools in Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties, 29 have greater than 50% of their students on the free and reduced lunch program and 25 schools have less than 70% reading at grade level. Requests for proposals will be sent to schools with the greatest needs, and 15 will be chosen for the program. Each will receive one Reading Corps volunteer that will work with students over the next 4 years to achieve the reading goal. “The Gates Foundation investment of $340,000 to our region will provide the opportunity to advance the reading skills of many more students,” said Alan Walker, Executive Director for United Way of Chelan and Douglas Counties. “The Community Foundation and United Way are excited to work closer with area schools and  Intermountain AmeriCorps to improve the lives and open doors of opportunity for our youth.”

The grant will also provide funds for CFNCW’s new annual grant program, Classrooms Can!, which will grant $1,000 to 50 K-12 teachers in North Central Washington for entrepreneurial projects in math and science, technology, arts education, literacy, or obesity prevention. Successful projects will excite and engage students, especially the hard to reach learner. “The Gates Foundation grant has allowed us to focus in on an issue that affects all of the communities we serve in North Central Washington.” said Beth Stipe, CFNCW executive director.  “Success in life is tied directly to success in school. We hope that this program will help our teachers to reach those kids who are struggling, keep them excited about learning, and ultimately see their reading and achievement in school improve.”

These programs have been funded because of their innovation in providing educational opportunities and increased student engagement in low income schools. According to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “children who aren’t reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times as likely to drop out of high school.” CFNCW and the United Way of Chelan-Douglas Counties believe our communities can reduce local poverty through stronger education for our children and greater opportunities for their continued educational success.

Applications for Classrooms Can! grants will be available in February 2013, due April 2013, and awards will be made at the end of the school year with project implementation for the 2013-2014 academic school year.