Foundation Spotlight- The Joanna Foundation

The Joanna Foundation is a private foundation that was established in 1945 by Mr. Walter Regnery, president of Joanna Cotton Mills Company, and Mr. William H. Regnery, president of the parent company, Joanna Western Mills of Chicago. Their main areas of interest are higher education, youth, the environment, community development, the arts, health, and public benefit. The Joanna Foundation gives primarily in Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Laurens and Newberry counties and has awarded grants such as:

• $15,000 to Newberry Opera House
• $10,000 to Dee Norton Lowcountry Childrens Center
• $3,000 to South Carolina Environmental Law Project
• $2,500 to Lowcountry Food Bank
• $2,000 to Darkness to Light

They have extended their deadline for applications until October 23. To learn more about this foundation visit their website at www.joannafoundation.org or come into the library and search the Foundation Directory Online.

The Walker Phenomenal Spirit Award

The Center for Women will award a $500 grant to one woman age 35 or over to help live her dream. This fund was made possible by a donation from Center for Women member Doretha Walker. The grant deadline is October 31 and will be awarded in November. To apply or learn more about the Walker Phenomenal Spirit Award, visit the Center for Women's website at www.c4women.org.

Upcoming Events

Rein and Shine Annual Fundraising Event, The Barn Raiser, will be held at Rein & Shine 1276 Guerins Bridge Road Awendaw, SC on October 13 from 4-8 pm. Visit www.reinandshine.org for more details.

Any upcoming events at your organization? Email them to jonesmi@ccpl.org.

Meeting Reminder

The Charleston Association of Grant Professional meets tonight at 5:45 at the Main Library, 68 Calhoun Street. Tom Keith, Executive Director, The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, will be speaking about what grantmakers are thinking today.

Chicks with Checks

Started in 2006 by Anne Newell, Chicks with Checks puts a whole new spin on charity donation. Chicks with Checks is a membership organization for women that combines social events with social awareness. Each month Chicks with Checks asks a local restaurant or business to host an event and provide appetizers. Women (and men) gather to network, socialize and donate what they normally would have spent on the night out to the month's featured charity. September's event will be held at Laura Alberts Tasteful Options on Daniel Island from 6:00-8:00 and will benefit Lutheran Hospice. For more information visity the website at http://chickswithchecks.us

Grants for Individuals

According to the Foundation Center, because most foundations award grants to nonprofit organizations, individual grantseekers will face stiff competition for grants. Therefore, it is even more important that you do your research and explore all potential funding resources in your area of interest. One of the resources that will provide valuable information is the Foundation Grants to Individuals. This resource is available at the Main Library in both print and online formats.
The directory includes current information on foundations that award grants specifically to individuals for: educational support (scholarships, fellowships, loans), general welfare, arts and cultural support, awards, prizes, and grants by nomination, international applications, company employees (education and general welfare), students and graduates of specific schools, research, and professional support.
For more information call 805-6930 or stop by and visit the library's Foundation Collection.

“What Grantmakers are Thinking Today”

The Charleston Association of Grant Professionals will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 18th, at 5:45 p.m. in the auditorium of the Charleston County Public Library.

Tom Keith, Executive Director, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, will be the guest speaker.

Topic: “What Grantmakers are Thinking Today”

Please visit the Sisters of Charity (www.sistersofcharitysc.com/) website for more information on available grants
Reservations are requested for this special program. Please email carolynlackey@comcast.net or call 843 452-4492.

Professional Input Needed

Mike DuBose, President of Research Associates, is creating a new course called Setting Up A Successful Grants Office. This course will address how to establish a grants office at non-profit, government, university, school, and district agencies.

Mike is seeking recommendations or suggestions on any advice you would like to share with other professionals and volunteers who are thinking about starting a grants office or improving an existing office. your name and agency will be listed in the curriculum as the originator of the information.

Send your ideas, suggestions, and comments by September 20, 2007 to: stephanie@grantexperts.com. Please list "setting up a grants office" as your subject line, and include your name, title, and organization in the email. They will be field testing the curriculum and then conducting the full course on December 7, 2007.

Charleston County Receives Big Read Grant

The Charleston County Big Read is a first-time, community-wide effort to promote literacy, celebrate diversity and recognize the significance of community connections by bringing people together to read and discuss a single book. The Charleston County Big Read is Zora Neale Hurston’s 1937 book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, about a young, vivacious African-American woman struggling to find her voice, her identity and the meaning of true love.

The Big Read Project was started by the National Endowment for the Arts and is being coordinated locally by the Charleston County Library. Charleston is one of 117 communities nationwide selected by the NEA to launch Big Read projects this fall.

Events will be taking place throughout the community from September 9-October 14 to celebrate the Big Read.

To learn more visit www.ccpl.org

Dr. Linda Karges-Bone

Some of the attendees at the last Charleston Association of Grant Professionals meeting were interested in ordering Dr. Karges-Bone’s latest book on grant writing which contains a CD of funding sources. To receive the book, send a check for $32 and a request to Dr. Linda Bone, 107 Dacs Lane, Summerville, SC 29483.