Clovis Community Foundation Supports Local Projects Worth $40,000
The Clovis Community (”CCF” or “Foundation”), working in collaboration with its community partners, is pleased to announce the recipients of its first-ever “request for proposals.”
The following organizations were awarded grants from the Foundation:
- Clovis Botanical Gardens (to complete a fence around the facility, improve signage and add plantings)
- Clovis Rotary Club (to add amenities to Rotary Park, including picnic tables and barbeque facilities)
- Friends of Clovis Library (for reading materials for teen reading program)
- Sierra Chamber Opera (to sponsor opera performances for students in Clovis schools)
- Tree Fresno (for landscape enhancements at Dry Creek Park and the trails system in Clovis)
The Foundation awarded $19,465 in grants which were generally matched by the recipient organization—resulting in a total community investment of almost $40,000.
According to Mark Keppler, Chairman of the Clovis Community Foundation, “this is the first year grant proposals were solicited by the Foundation from the community. We are planning on this to be an annual event—with requests for proposals going out each June, grant proposals being due in August and awards being made by October.”
Keppler also noted that “the mission of the Clovis Community Foundation is to support and build partnerships with non-profit organizations in our community. In a time of constrained budgets, we are delighted to be able to provide the necessary support to help keep these great projects moving forward.”
Established in late 2002, The Clovis Community Foundation is a non- profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in our region (for more information on the Foundation, log on to:
www.cloviscommunityfoundation.org
Since its inception, the Foundation has donated almost $250,000 to numerous programs and projects in Clovis such as Clovis Police Activities League, the Boys and Girls Club, Center Stage, The Clovis Botanical Gardens, The Children’s Museum of Central California, the Coalition for Community Trails and the Valley Nature Education Center.
In almost every instance, the grant money was matched by the organization/non-profit receiving the grant, resulting in approximately $500,000 in community improvements.
An important source of the Foundation’s funding comes from events, such as the annual Clovis Mayor’s Breakfast, and donations and endowments to The Clovis Community Chest, such as those established by the Wathen- Castanos Charitable Fund and the Leo Wilson Charitable Fund.
The goal of the Foundation, according to Chairperson Keppler, is “…to not only enhance the quality of life in our community, but do it in the most efficient and effective way possible.” “By creating challenge grants and working in collaboration with the city and our community partners,” Keppler noted, “we hope to significantly enhance the quality of life for those living, working and raising families in our region.”