A new funding opportunity is now available at the Community Foundation of White County: Mental Wellness Grants. In its first year, $50,000 will be available to eligible nonprofit organizations seeking funding for projects related to mental wellness.
A project born from years of data collecting, Lilly Endowment, Inc.’s Leadership Planning Grant sent your community foundation on a mission to uncover the perspectives of what it’s like to live in White County. We gathered county-specific demographics and compiled those with the qualitative data gleaned from community conversations held last spring.
What particularly stood out to the foundation in these reports was a great need for support in the mental health space, as well as broader support for our youth. In immediate response to these needs, we awarded two proactive grants last year:
$18,248 to support the community navigator program at United Way. Katherine Jay, the community navigator, directly connects folks with the resources they need, such as helping with food insecurity, homelessness, finding mental health services, plus so much more. She is often the first point of contact when someone is in crisis, providing an invaluable resource to White County.
$6,752 was proactively awarded to Valley Oaks Health. During the discovery process in our data collecting, it became clear that oftentimes, folks are unable to receive the mental healthcare they need due to barriers, such as transportation, affordability, or childcare. This grant helps fill those gaps for individuals, ensuring they can access lifesaving care.
In immediate response to strengthening our youth, we had an opportunity to receive a regional cultivation grant from WHIN (Wabash Heartland Innovative Network) that we used to establish a new youth philanthropy council. With 26 students representing all four White County schools, this group of active leaders awarded their first round of grants this spring to help strengthen their school communities.
In our continued response to the information learned in our data collection, we are excited to now offer Mental Wellness Grants to uplift our community. Applications and guidelines can be found on our website, www.cfwhitecounty.org.
The Mental Wellness Grants are just one of six remaining grant cycles available this year to support our nonprofit partners. There are two more Community Cares grant cycles available this year, each with $25,000 available. The Women Giving Together grants support projects that uplift White County’s women and families. And for organizations looking to make efforts in the Brookston community, the Glen B. & Lorraine D Garrott grant is available. The youth philanthropy council will also be accepting applications for the fall semester to support initiatives in their school communities, providing multiple routes throughout the year for possible funding.
Details regarding the grants can be found on our website, www.cfwhitecounty.org, or feel free to reach out to director, Lucy Dold at (574) 583-6911 to talk about your project.
All these opportunities are made possible through our generous donors. Thank you for your continued support that allows us to fulfill our mission: strengthening and transforming White County by fostering charitable giving, philanthropic aspirations, and leadership.