News

Community Foundation awards $229,000 worth of grants

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 10, 2019

The Community Foundation of Henderson County made $228,890 in grant awards through the Perry N. Rudnick Endowment, the Community Grant process and an emergency request.

The Perry N. Rudnick Endowment Fund, a component fund of the Foundation, was originally established as a private foundation, then joined Community Foundation in 2004, creating a $6.2 million advised endowment. Since 2004, the Rudnick Advisory Committee has awarded a total of $3.6 million. During its most recent grant cycle, the Rudnick Advisory Committee awarded $97,890 to help further the missions of five organizations.

• $30,000 to Hendersonville Rescue Mission in support of its Access to Hygiene Services for the Homeless program, by providing a portion of the funding for showers, laundry facilities, a reception area, and a multi-purpose meeting room.
• $22,890 to Steps to HOPE in Columbus, NC toward the purchase of a new generator for their shelter.
• $15,000 to North Carolina Arboretum Society in support of the Willow Pond Project.
• $15,000 to Open Hearts Center in support of empowering adult artists with disabilities. Funds will support the production of video biographies, cloud storage for artwork, a printed catalog, and a targeted advertising campaign.
• $15,000 to IFB Solutions, Asheville Division in support of their Focus on Literacy Program, specifically covering eye examinations and specialty equipment.

Twice a year the Perry N. Rudnick invites nonprofit organizations to submit letters of intent. The next deadline is July 1, and additional details are available online at www.CFHCforever.org/rudnickfundgrants.
Additionally, the Community Fund made awards totaling $126,000 in support of seven area nonprofits and their missions. Grants were:

• $75,000 to Helping Hand Development Center in support of finding a new home for their organization. This grant award is contingent upon Helping Hand Development Center raising funds necessary to complete the building renovations. To learn more about this project visit: www.helpinghanddevelopmentcenter.org/donations.
• $19,000 to Henderson County Education Foundation in partnership with Flat Rock Playhouse for creating Letterland Alive! The show will be based on the characters found in Letterland, the district-wide phonics program, and will be shown in all thirteen Henderson County elementary schools.
• $10,000 to the Hendersonville Community Theater in support of their 2019 season. This grant award is to be used as a match challenge to incentivize additional dollars raised.
• $10,000 to Interfaith Assistance Ministry to be used to help defray costs for upgraded security for their building.
• $7,500 to MountainTrue to purchase a fleet of inflatable watercraft, to assist in environmental stewardship and conservation efforts.
• $2,500 awarded to Carolina Concert Choir as a 2-to-1 conditional matching grant to help support the All-County Honors Chorus.
• $2,000 to NC State Cooperative Extension Henderson County in support of an eight-hour educational workshop: Community, Charity, and School Gardens.

Lastly, on occasion, emergencies arise in our local nonprofits that require an ask outside of our grant cycle. Most recently Safelight came to the Community Foundation of Henderson County, because their elevator broke, and plays a critical part in serving their clientele. The $5,000 request was approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
“It is an exciting time to be an engaged member of our mountain community,” said McCray Benson, CFHC President/CEO. “Our area nonprofits continue to address the challenge each day to make our community a better place to live, and we’re honored our donors allow us, the Community Foundation to be a part of it.”
Since 1982, the Community Foundation of Henderson County has been helping people transform their philanthropic dreams into reality. Donors can make lasting contributions to causes close to their heart through a variety of giving methods. Learn more about the Community Foundation of Henderson at www.CFHCforever.org, on the Foundation’s Facebook page, or by calling (828) 697-6224.