By Howard Greninger
TERRE HAUTE — Under a new one-time “Better Together” program, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation will provide one grant of up to $50,000 to nonprofit agencies in Vigo, Clay or Sullivan counties that collaborate on a common issue.
“You folks know what is needed in the trenches. We are encouraging organizations to identify one or more other organizations to develop a collaborative project,” Beth Tevlin, executive director of the foundation told a group of nonprofit agencies Wednesday at the MCL Conference Center at The Meadows shopping center.
Tevlin said the Community Foundation has been reviewing grant requests since 1991 and has found “many similarities between what is needed by nonprofit agencies.”
“We are trying to make a significant impact. It is very hard to make a significant impact if you are giving out 10 $5,000 grants, but one $50,000 grant that impacts say four different agencies, you might be able to make a true difference in what they are able to provide to their constituents,” Tevlin said after a breakfast for the nonprofit organizations.
As examples, Tevlin said individual nonprofit agencies may not be able to afford a truck to pick up and then deliver food, but several agencies could support one truck to serve a group of agencies. Another example is agencies can collaborate to hire a single accountant to work with each agency in a collaborative group or a group can collaborate on a marketing effort.
“We know, because we have done it before, that collaborations are not easy. They require some work,” Tevlin said. To help agencies collaborate, the Community Foundation will offer five to seven planning grants of $2,000 to help assist with expenses such as hiring a facilitator for a collaboration or provide mileage reimbursements or even meals to allow agencies to meet.
Tim Fagg, chief executive officer of The Light House Mission, said the idea of getting nonprofit agencies to collaborate on a project “is a great idea. When you look at the number of agencies that are in the Wabash Valley, a lot of us are trying to do the same thing,” Fagg said. “Collaborating gets more bang for the dollar and more people served.”
Fagg said the mission already has a partnership with Salvation Army and can collaborate with other agencies such as Crisis Pregnancy Center or Catholic Charities. “Even if we don’t get the grant, whoever does get the grant, it will go to good use in the Wabash Valley,” Fagg said.
Josie Blake, executive director of the Wabash Valley Senior Citizens Center, said she also supports the concept of agencies collaborating to receive a larger grant.
“I think it is a good idea. We will look to get together with Area 7 on Aging, The Foster Grandparent Program [through Western Indiana Community Action Agency] and Senior Education Ministries, a recently formed non-profit group, to see what we can come up with that we can all benefit from. I am not sure what we will come up with yet, but I think we can collaborate,” Blake said.
Tevlin said applying for the collaborative grant will not exclude an agency from applying for regular cycle grants from the foundation. The Wabash Valley Community Foundation manages more than $29 million in permanent endowment, designated, scholarship and special project funds for charitable contributions. The foundation in 2008 dispersed more than $8.9 million in grants, according to its annual report.
Nonprofit agencies must apply for planning grants by March 1, 2010, with the $2,000 grant paid on March 31. Proposals for the grant of up to $50,000 are due Oct. 1. The foundation will award the single grant by Dec. 31, 2010. Agencies then have three years to implement their collaborative project and use the grant funds.
Nonprofit agencies can obtain proposal guidelines for the Better Together grant by contacting Tevlin or Kelli Miller, program director, at the Wabash Valley Community Foundation at (812) 232-2234 or www.wvcf.com. The foundation is at 2901 Ohio Blvd., Suite 153, in Terre Haute.
Tevlin said the Better Together grant may be continued in the future “depending on results and responses we see and funding will determine if a second opportunity is made.”
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com
