Mar 7, 2013 2 min read

The Washington County Community Foundation is accepting applications through April 1 for two $10,000 grants.

The first $10,000 grant will be made from the WCCF’s Mother’s Fund, which was initiated by the board of trustees in 1999, with annual grants ranging from $300 to $1,000. The value of the fund, and the annual grants from it, were significantly increased in 2007 during the foundation’s Women of Philanthropy campaign, which recognized the WCCF’s first female chairman of the board, Carlyn Belczyk. Eligible charities will provide a program to support disadvantaged women and/or children in Washington County. To apply, 501(c)(3) charities should submit a program narrative on the charity’s letterhead of no more than three pages, providing an overview of the organization and detailing the intended use of the grant.

The second $10,000 grant will be presented in conjunction with the WCCF’s annual Director’s Choice Award. This award was created by the board of trustees in 2008 to assist a small but improving charity in recognition of the WCCF’s earliest supporters, who were willing to invest in the community foundation in its earliest days. It was initiated in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the foundation’s first full-time executive director, Betsie Trew, under whose leadership the WCCF has grown from less than $250,000 in assets to more than $15 million. To be eligible to apply for the award, 501(c)(3) charities are required to have an operating budget of less than $250,000, have been in existence for at least three years, and provide a program in one of the six areas supported by the Acorn Fund – arts and humanities, education, environment and animal welfare, health and fitness, human needs or religion and faith-based. Applicants will be judged on three criteria: quality of programming, community impact (as gauged by the number of people served, programs offered or other measurable component), and improvement in the organization’s financial position since inception or over the last five years. To apply, charities should submit a program narrative on the charity’s letterhead of no more than three pages, addressing each of the criteria and detailing the intended use of the grant.

Questions should be directed to the WCCF at 724-222-6330 or allocations@wccf.net.