SJI Community Foundation Awards Grants, Hosts Nonprofit Leaders

The San Juan Island Community Foundation recently awarded grants totaling $20,546 to local nonprofits in their third and final grant cycle of the year. The Foundation awarded $4,648 from its Healthy Community Fund, while generous donors and the SJICF Women’s Fund contributed a combined $15,898. The following local projects were funded:

• The San Juan County Economic Development Council was awarded $2,348 to launch their Construction Basics Training program on San Juan Island.
• Island Stage Left was awarded $3,150 to replace the flooring of their stage.
• Islands Oil Spill Association (IOSA) was awarded $3,590 to purchase safety equipment and boom trailers.
• PADs for Parkinson’s was awarded $4,858 to cover costs for their annual community newsletter.
• The San Juan Island Family Resource Center was awarded $5,000 to support a technology upgrade for improved outreach.
• Leadership San Juan Islands was awarded $1,600 for Class of 2019 tuition assistance.

In an effort to increase nonprofit collaboration and provide training, the Foundation staff recently hosted the first of a series of networking sessions for nonprofit leaders. Held at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor in November, nonprofit directors and development staff enjoyed an update from the SJICF staff and engaged in lively conversations over lunch to discuss current projects and to share ideas for specific topics like board development, fundraising and partnering with other nonprofits for events and programs.

Carrie Unpingco, Executive Director of SJICF said at the event, “With our added staff, we’re excited to provide more resources to nonprofits in the coming year. In addition to grant funding, we hope these opportunities to meet regularly with peers will help strengthen nonprofit leaders and make their work a bit easier. Sometimes just talking to others that share your day-to-day challenges can make a big difference.”

Future sessions are planned for 2019, with the next one on February 28th.

The Foundation’s next grant cycle is coming up right after year end. If you’re a nonprofit planning to submit a grant application, call the Foundation at (360) 378-1001 to schedule a pre-application meeting between 12/10 and 12/21. The deadline for submission is January 7, 2019.

For more than 24 years, the San Juan Island Community Foundation’s mission has been to connect donors who want to make a difference to nonprofits meeting the needs of the San Juan Island community. To learn more about donor services, nonprofit programs, grants and scholarships visit sjicf.org.

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