HANCOCK COUNTY — Mini grants have made big impacts for many nonprofits this year.
The Community Foundation of Hancock County has been doling out mini grants to local organizations for the past 10 years. The grants are awarded on an as-needed basis and announced publicly on a quarterly basis.
The latest round of grants announced for the third quarter has depleted available funds for the rest of 2023.
The foundation’s Community Investment & Grants Officer, Katie Ottinger, said that means the funds are out there at work throughout the county.
“We will have funding available again beginning Jan. 1, 2024. However, if a nonprofit has an emergency or immediate need come up in the next two months, I invite them to still contact me to discuss,” she said.
Ottinger said mini grants are made from the Hancock County Enrichment Fund, “which helps support long-term solutions, respond quickly to emergencies, and meet changing social, cultural, educational and environmental needs in the local community.”
Requests are limited to $1,500 each.
The latest round of mini grants distributed a collective $12,000 to 10 organizations:
• Frenzy Animal Rescue, Inc. received $1,500 to fix water damage in their dog shelter.
• Hancock County Probation Services received $447 to purchase field officer equipment to increase safety.
• Regreening Greenfield, Inc. received $1,500 for a software program to track Greenfield’s street trees.
• Agape Therapeutic Riding Services received $1,500 for restructuring the grooming area and building an observation deck.
• The Civil Air Patrol received $575 for drones and flags to support its programming for cadets.
• Shelter From the Storm received $1,495 for technology.
• Hancock Co. COAD received $1,400 for First Aid/CPR training.
• Boys and Girls Club of Hancock County received a $1,000 grant to support a kitchen compliance upgrade for the Jim Andrews Unit building.
• Fortville Christian Church received a $1,500 grant for a new freezer to support the food pantry operated by the Fortville Area Resource Mission (FARM).
• Talitha Koum Women’s Recovery House received a $1,500 grant for a building maintenance need.
Ottinger said the grants were issued from a pool of funds that is set aside each year to meet nonprofit organizations’ needs that arise outside of other grant cycles.
“Mini Grants are administered on a rolling cycle each calendar year, which means there’s no set deadline. Applications are accepted and evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis until funds available for the calendar year are gone. This allows us to respond to needs rapidly as they arise,” she said.
Betty Wilkins, founder of Frenzy Animal Rescue in New Palestine, said the recent mini grant her nonprofit received was a godsend in repairing water damage that occurred at the shelter.
“That was used to replace some of the flooring that was damaged, and helped us put in a drainage system that would prevent water from going beneath the shelter again,” said Wilkins, who has been rescuing dogs for the past 30 years.
“The mini grants are just wonderful. Without them, we would not be able to do as much as we can,” she said. “We wouldn’t have been able to get out the mold that the water caused, which would have meant we wouldn’t have been able to take any more dogs in.”
Jim Peters was equally thankful for the $1,400 grant allocated to Hancock County’s branch of COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster).
“The grant allowed us to provide CPR certification and first aid training to 19 people, preparing them to assist their neighbors in the event of a disaster,” he said.
Capt. Tricia Bagnall, who oversees the Civil Air Patrol organization based out of the Indianapolis Regional Airport in Greenfield, said the $575 grant her nonprofit received will be used to buy drones to help train cadets who wish to become drone pilots. Some funds might also be used to purchase equipment to start a color guard team.
“Obviously it’s a tremendous help,” she said.
