Lorain County Community Foundation announces more than $1 million in grants

The Community Foundation of Lorain County Board of Directors announced more than $1 million in grants to 47 organizations. The grants focused on four areas: arts and culture, education and youth development, health and human services, and strengthening Lorain County. In addition, the Community Foundation also announced the addition a grant cycle and a pivot to its four focus areas. "Adding another grant cycle and having each cycle centered around a focus area will allow our staff, volunteers on our grants committee, and donors to focus on emerging needs in our community and ensure that we meet the needs of our nonprofit partners," said Cindy Andrews, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Lorain County. Previously, the Community Foundation has offered two community grant cycles, with applications due in February and July and grant awards announced in December and June. The new cycles will have health and human service organizations apply by Feb. 1 with awards in May, education and youth development organizations apply by March 1 with awards in July, and arts and culture and strengthening Lorain County apply by July 1 with awards in October. "The new grant cycles give us the opportunity to strategically discuss our program areas, reach out to donors more effectively and help broaden our Grants Committee," said Maria Grega, chair of the Grants Committee. The recent grants include Solidarity Urban Farms, which received $30k to continue work combatting food insecurity in Lorain. The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer manages the urban farm, which provides healthy food for the church's community meals program, healthy activities for neighborhood children and families, free food for neighbors and produce for sale to the community. United Way of Greater Lorain County, Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, Lorain County Urban League, Main Street Lorain and the YWCA are partners with the program. Recently, staff at Solidarity Urban Farms and Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio have been able to include Solidarity Urban Farms produce as eligible for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and senior coupons, including delivery to families using WIC. "The generous support from the Community Foundation will support us continuing to operate Solidarity Urban Farm," says Father Alexander Barton, Executive Director of Solidarity Urban Farms. "This grant will allow us to provide healthy options for the community and a safe place for the youth in our community." The funds used to fulfill the Solidarity Urban Farms grant are coming from two unrestricted endowment funds held at Community Foundation of Lorain County. Unrestricted funds provide the most flexibility for the Grants Committee to respond to emerging needs. Community Foundation of Lorain County has a Touch the Future Fund that is open for donations. 2022 Grant Cycle Awards Arts & Culture Elyria Arts Council - $38,700 Lorain County Historical Society - $25,000 North Pointe Ballet - $20,000 Oberlin Heritage Center/O.H.I.O. - $20,000 Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Theater Project - $10,000 Southern Lorain County Historical Society - $3,634 Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio - $3,000 Firelands Association for the Visual Arts - $20,000 Oberlin Choristers - $7,000 Education & Youth Development Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County - $50,000 Camp Imagine - $15,000 Effective Leadership Academy - $25,000 Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio - $15,000 LifeAct - $15,000 National Inventors Hall of Fame - $49,900 OberlinKids - $15,000 Save our Children of Elyria, Inc. - $50,000 Youth Challenge - $22,000 Girls on the Run Northeast Ohio - $5,000 RePlay for Kids - $7,859 Standout Production Group/Scholastic Games - $6,500 Health & Human Services A Dementia Friendly Life Foundation - $50,000 Blessing House - $75,000 Coalition for the Uninsured of Lorain County - $38,750 El Centro de Services Sociales - $60,000 Flat Rock Homes, Inc - $20,000 Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc. - $15,000 Humility of Mary Housing - $35,000 Lorain County Health & Dentistry - $50,000 Lorain County Lutheran Presbyterian Cooperative Ministries - $20,000 Lorain County Office on Aging - $42,269 Mercy Foundation of Lorain County - $55,000 NAMI - $13,500 North Ridgeville Community Care - $10,000 Prevent Blindness, Northeast Ohio Chapter - $15,000 Primary Purpose Center, Inc. - $20,000 Road to Hope House, Inc. - $50,000 The Salvation Army Elyria - $40,000 A Kid Again (Northern Ohio Chapter) - $10,000 Avon/Avon Lake Community Resource Services, Inc. - $5,000 Strengthening Lorain County City Fresh - $30,000 Episcopal Church of the Redeemer - $30,000 Friendship Animal Protective League - $20,000 YWCA Elyria - $45,250 Hearts of Patriots - $10,000 Ideastream - $5,000 SCORE Cleveland Chapter 30 - $3,000 The new grant cycles will go into effect Jan. 1. To learn more about the Community Foundation of Lorain County's grant cycles and see the list of grant awards, visit peoplewhocare.org.