Choices are often difficult when investing in charitable programs

Looking at the mysterious world of community foundations from the outside, it can be challenging to appreciate the enormous complexity involved in making decisions about what organizations receive grants.

What happens behind the closed-door meetings?

Who is making the decisions?

In a competitive application process each year, a volunteer committee of informed citizens and Manatee Community Foundation board members make difficult choices about how to invest in charitable programs and organizations that serve residents of Manatee County.

This year, for every dollar available to award, there were two additional dollars in requests from nonprofits. Most of the available funds are mission-specific to the particular interests of the generous donors who entrusted the Foundation with their charitable legacies.

A few guiding questions are central to the discussions:

▪  How will the grant request make specific gains for people, animals, the environment or our community?

▪  Is the program the most effective way to do this?

▪  Is the organization stable with good leadership?

▪  Are there available funds that match the purpose of this request?

The committee members spend both independent and collaborative time reviewing and researching the proposals. They meet to select existing programs, new programs, “upgrades” to help programs achieve better results, and investments that help organizations grow their effectiveness or efficiency.

Though often viewed as “unsexy” items to fund, the right technology and equipment help nonprofits better serve those who make their missions possible. This includes people who donate, volunteer and use their programs. Grants to Suncoast Communities Blood Bank, South Florida Museum, Turning Points, Care Net Manasota Pregnancy Center, 2-1-1 Suncoast and Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation will purchase equipment or software that will help each of them nurture one or more of these key groups. These investments will increase funds available for services or provide better service delivery.

ArtCenter Manatee was awarded a grant to create an online artist marketplace to help local artists expand their reach and increase revenue for the organization. We can’t wait to see it.

Two pilot programs that were awarded funding are particularly notable: a Future Leaders Academy and a Restorative Practice training for Manatee County Schools.

The Future Leaders Academy for Girls is a new approach designed by UnidosNow targeting elementary school low-income Latina girls, a growing demographic in our community. In the very early grades, many first-generation Latina students are tracked into remedial programs and may not have a culture that explores or encourages post-secondary education, making it difficult for them to catch up in time for college. This grant will ultimately contribute toward the advancement of a college going culture among the Latino families in Manatee County.

A grant awarded to Manatee County Schools already has educated and trained School Board members, senior district leadership and selected district staff in the Restorative Practice model. This process not only will lower incidents of discipline referrals for behavior but also reduce in-school and out-of-school suspensions and expulsions.

School attendance is a major factor in the success of grade-level reading and high school graduation. The process creates a way for students and teachers to engage in routine and effective communications, restore relationships when there are conflicts and avoid future conflicts with the skills they have learned.

Other grants will provide a foundation for children to understand and appreciate our local environment and wildlife, underwrite expanding mental health services needed in our community, make music programs in libraries and the community possible, provide a refuge for victims of sex trafficking, and help veterans adopt a canine companion to enrich their lives.

These carefully selected investments will enhance our community in countless ways. However, there are vast opportunities to give time and money to support other programs and services truly making a difference. Regardless of how much you are able to give, you can contact us to get connected with people working in the space that interests you the most.

This story was originally published May 16, 2017 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Choices are often difficult when investing in charitable programs."