Bursting with News: A Month of Big Changes and New Beginnings!
I am busting with so much news this month, It is hard to know where to start! New office space, new talent, new giving circle members, a new grant cycle, new scholarship workshops, and soon a new website! We are improving and growing, and we hope you are noticing and wanting to know more.
Perhaps the most exciting news is the addition of Michelle Keller to the CFMC team! We could not be more thrilled to welcome her. Michelle brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience and a love of her community that is unmatched. For the past seven years, Michelle has owned and operated Brickhouse on Main and Brickhouse Loft in Martinsville. This event venue and accompanying boutique hotel has provided an upscale, unique option for locals and out-of-towners alike. The Community Foundation has a long history working with Michelle, so she is familiar with our impact on students and nonprofits. She shared with me recently her desire to do more in the community. Contemplating volunteering in her spare time (only Michelle could have spare time while running two businesses), I jumped at the chance to have her join us. In my 40 years of knowing Michelle, I have never met anyone with more energy and ambition. True to form, Michelle is always looking for new ways to give back to the community that she has so much affection for, and we are grateful she is joining us to promote our mission.
By the end of the summer, you can find us back on the square in Martinsville at 88 North Main Street next door to Tom Fiddlery. We are very excited to be more centrally located once again. Our office will be open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. I encourage you to stop in and peruse the local art exhibits and to learn more about the Community Foundation. In this age of short attention spans, it is difficult to build a sound bite that translates the many nuances of what we do, so stop by and learn about the new giving circles – Guys Who Give and 100+ Women Who Care – or let’s talk about the needs of our county and perhaps how your charitable giving could make an impact through a family legacy fund.
July 7th marked the opening of our annual Community Impact Grant Application. We are offering one grant cycle this year, so it is imperative that nonprofits apply online by the August 8th deadline. Our grants committee will evaluate each application based on the needs of our county and what kind of impact can be made. There are no specific criteria this year as in year’s past. Our goal is to be more inclusive of our nonprofits. We want to hear what you are doing for the county, how we can help you do more, and how many you will be serving. Translation – what will your impact be if we award your organization a grant?
July 7th also kicked off our Summer Cycle Scholarship Application. For any high school senior residing or attending school in Morgan County, from now until September 2nd, you can complete one online application for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, and it can also be used to apply for any other scholarship offer by CFMC. (There will also be a winter cycle starting November 21st for those not interested in applying for the Lilly Scholarship.) In addition, we are offering students two application workshops. The first workshop is Wednesday, July 23rd from 10 am to 12 pm at Martinsville High School, and the second workshop will be hosted by Mooresville High School Thursday, August 7th from 4 pm to 6 pm. Please join us at either of these workshops for assistance, tips, and advice in completing your application. We want to help make this process easier for students – and parents!
Finally, on November 13th, we will be hosting a 24-hour day of giving in our final push to meet our donation goal for GIFT VIII. Until the end of 2025, Lilly Endowment will TRIPLE any donation made to our unrestricted account through GIFT VIII. This account provides the budget for our grant dollars that fund qualifying nonprofits. GIFT is an acronym for Growing Indiana Funds For Tomorrow, and these GIFT cycles come along every few years to inspire donors. This is a critical commitment from Lilly Endowment to strengthen our endowment. Memberships to our giving circles count toward this match, but we need a larger commitment. Please stay tuned for more details on our 24-hour giving day. We will be physically live all night and streaming online all night. Get ready Morgan County, the excitement is building!
For more information on CFMC, 100+ Women Who Care, Guys Who Give, and other upcoming events, please contact Kim Cole, President of CFMC, at kcole@cfmconline.org.
