Welborn Baptist Foundation Announces Funding Cycle for 2010
-- Continuing Support for Target Areas, Even Given Economic Downturn--
Evansville, Indiana – Welborn Baptist Foundation announces the start of its annual grant cycle, and some important considerations impacting 2010.
“Since 1999, Welborn Baptist Foundation has granted over $30 million to more than 200 not-for-profit institutions in our service area,” said Kevin Bain, the Foundation’s Executive Director and CEO. “Last year, the Foundation provided approximately $2.8 million dollars to a number of organizations within the community. We are pleased to continue providing significant grants that improve the health and well-being of the Tri-State.”
Since its inception, Welborn Baptist Foundation has focused its efforts in six key target areas:
• Promotion of Healthy Adolescent Development
• Improvements to Community Health Status
• Faith-Based Initiatives
• School Based Health
• Promotion of Early Childhood Development
• General Opportunity
Each remains a key area of focus for the Foundation in 2010. “We are continuing to make significant grants in our target areas, and as always, welcome thoughtful submissions that match our priorities, “added Bain. “However, the economic uncertainty of recent years is bringing an additional focus to our efforts.” Consequently, prospective grants will be subject to additional considerations for the 2010 grant cycle:
• No new building construction-related capital grant requests will be considered.
• New program grant requests will be considered, but only those that are considered mission-critical to the Foundation’s target areas.
• Organizations with established programs in target areas will be expected to clearly articulate how they will achieve their program objectives with measurable results.
• All grantees will be expected to actively find ways to be more efficient in serving their audiences, and collaborate with similar organizations in doing so.
Any not-for-profit organization that wishes to apply for a grant may submit a Letter of Interest online until 12:00 noon, Wednesday, March 31, 2010.
Due to realized efficiencies, the Foundation’s 2010 grant process will be conducted exclusively via Internet access. Information relative to the grant process, the online Letter of Interest, and other relevant background is available at the Foundation’s Website: www.welbornfdn.org. Organizations whose letters are selected will be invited to submit formal proposals in late spring, with grant recipients being announced in Fall 2010.
The Foundation will conduct a workshop, for those organizations interested in submitting a Letter of Interest, on Tuesday, March 16th at 4:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of Old National Bank, One Main Street, Evansville, Indiana (at the intersection of Main Street and Riverside Drive). Due to the location change, an RSVP is required for the workshop. Please contact Paula Murray at info@welbornfdn.org or at (812) 437-8260 for reservations by 12:00 noon on Friday, March 12, 2010.
Welborn Baptist Foundation is the not-for-profit, private foundation created in 1999 from the sale of Welborn Baptist Hospital to St. Mary’s Medical Center and from additional assets of the hospital. The Foundation provides grants to not-for-profit organizations that significantly contribute to improving community health in a fourteen county area of Southeastern Illinois, Southwestern Indiana, and Western Kentucky.
Welborn Baptist Foundation, Inc. Announces 2009 Grant Awards;
Cumulative Strategic Grantmaking eclipses $30 million mark
Evansville, Indiana - October 29, 2009 - Welborn Baptist Foundation, Inc. has awarded a total of fifty-one (51) grants to Tri-State not-for-profit organizations, totaling approximately $2.79 million for programs within the Foundation’s target areas of Promotion of Early Childhood Development, Promotion of Healthy Adolescent Development, Faith-Based Initiatives, Improvements In Community Health Status and School-Based Health Programs. Coupled with the $28 million granted by the Foundation between 2000 and 2008, this year’s grants bring total Foundation support to more than $30 million dollars.
“This is the culmination of a very competitive process that began in March of this year. This challenging environment placed a premium on grantees being able to clearly articulate the ultimate impact of their initiatives. We believe these grants represent the very best in efforts to improve the health and well-being of infants, children and adults in our community”, said Foundation Board Chairman E. Lynn Johnson.
Funds for 2009 are distributed as follows:
|
TARGET |
AMOUNT |
| Promotion of Early Childhood Development |
$583,718 |
| Faith Based Initiatives |
281,500 |
| General Opportunity |
195,000 |
| Promotion of Healthy Adolescent Development |
625,500 |
| Improvements in Community Health Status |
253,000 |
| move·ment Initiative |
255,000 |
HEROES (Coordinated School Health Programs)
Total 2009 Welborn Baptist Foundation Funding |
594,238
$2,787,956 |
“We are pleased to continue providing significant grants in our target areas. However, the market slowdown which has affected all of us brought a renewed focus to our efforts, and an even higher degree of selectivity”, said Kevin R. Bain, Welborn Baptist Foundation Executive Director and CEO. “All grant recipients have identified a thorough and thoughtful mechanism for evaluating their efforts.”
Included in the funds granted are initial resources for the move·ment Initiative, which has the mission of improving overall community health status through the development of a supportive social and physical environment that promotes healthy eating and physical activity.
The Foundation designated the Donald B. Cox Memorial Grant of $15,000 to Bridge Medical Clinic of Harrisburg, Illinois. The Clinic provides free medical treatment and medication to the qualifying working poor of Saline and Gallatin counties. The award is named for Mr. Donald B. Cox, a former Foundation Chairman, who died in 2005.
The Foundation also designated the Marjorie Z. Soyugenc Award of $80,000 to the Early Childhood Development Coalition. The Coalition works to bring research-based, high quality opportunities to families, children and teachers. This award is a tribute to Mrs. Marjorie Z. Soyugenc, who served as the Foundation’s first CEO until her retirement at the end of 2008.
Welborn Baptist Foundation is the not-for-profit, private foundation created in 1999 from the sale of Welborn Baptist Hospital to St. Mary’s Medical Center and from additional assets of the hospital. The Foundation provides grants to not-for profit organizations that significantly contribute to community health in a fourteen county area of Southeastern Illinois, Southwestern Indiana and Western Kentucky.
To review the Foundation's funding history, please click here.
Major Community-Wide Obesity Initiative Launched
--Welborn Baptist Foundation Spearheads a New Effort to Improve Health Status and Reverse Alarming Trends--
Evansville, IN – October 20, 2009 - Welborn Baptist Foundation, Inc. announces the launch of its move·mentInitiative, which has the mission of improving overall community health status through the development of a supportive social and physical environment that promotes healthy eating and physical activity.
Statistics from the Foundation’s Adult Health in the Tri-State 2008 health survey last February cited roughly two-thirds of Vanderburgh County residents are either overweight (28%) or obese (34%). These figures in total are comparable to the national average of overweight (37%) and obese (26%), but heavily skew toward obesity.
“The Foundation recognized that the community was facing a growing problem that would only lead to a higher prevalence of chronic disease. The Foundation’s Board agreed to fund research, staff resources, capacity building grants, and evaluation in the development of a new initiative to help make the healthiest choice the easiest choice, “ said Kevin Bain, Foundation Executive Director and CEO. “Today marks the official rollout of the community-wide initiative, known as move·ment, which we hope will serve as a catalyst for action in our area.”
A key part of the launch is the release of a document developed as part of a community collaborative – over 50 community partners convened and helped contribute to the content of the Blueprint: A Community’s move·mentToward Healthy Lifestyles. This 20 page document contains objectives for six priority areas as well as strategies and potential actions for each.
“We hope the Blueprint will serve as a best practice guiding document for the work in the six priority areas which include the Built Environment, Food Access, Child Care and School-Age Settings, Worksite, Organizations with Influence, and the Faith-Based Community,” said Andrea Hays, move·mentProgram Director. “By coming together to agree on specific strategies to address improvements in these areas, the community has already done a great deal of planning. We are excited to now move to the implementation stage, drawing upon committed partners from government, businesses, schools, and not-for-profits.”
The launch event includes a presentation from an official at the Indiana State Department of Health as well as a preview of Upgrade, the initial social marketing campaign component of move·ment.
Those wanting more information about the move·ment Initiative or to view the Blueprint should visit the Foundation’s website at www.welbornfdn.org/movement. Printed copies of the Blueprint are also available upon request at the Foundation’s office at Twenty-One Southeast Third Street, Suite 610, Evansville, Indiana.