Community Foundation Awards $374,065 in Grants

South Bend Heritage’s Aging in Place Program

As part of its 2022 spring grants cycle, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County has awarded $374,065 to local nonprofit organizations in Senior Living grants and ArtsEverywhere grants.

SENIOR LIVING GRANTS
Senior Living grants are designed to support quality programs and services that local seniors need to remain healthy, safe, independent, and engaged. Senior Living grant recipients in this cycle include:

• LOGAN: $65,000
  This grant will provide funding to increase the quality of life of seniors at LOGAN by providing upgrades to residential group homes: painting, increasing handicap accessibility and safety, a bathroom remodel, and the addition of durable outdoor furniture. In addition, grant funds will provide much-needed support for seniors in LOGAN Protective Services.
• Robinson Community Learning Center, University of Notre Dame: $40,000
  To address the social isolation experienced by seniors during the past two years of the pandemic, Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) will use this grant to scale up its Programs for Senior Adults, providing expanded opportunities for intellectual discourse and learning, social interaction, and community engagement—more classes and clubs, an expanded network of programs, volunteer opportunities, and one-time events (concerts, field trips, bus tours).
• HealthLinc: $25,000
  Funds will support HealthLinc’s Food as Medicine project, focusing on underserved low-income senior citizens in St. Joseph County who screen positive for food insecurity. In 2021, HealthLinc served 6,651 patients over the age of 60, 30% of which (1,984 patients) were seen at one of their St. Joseph County clinics.
• South Bend Heritage Foundation: $10,000
  This grant will help support South Bend Heritage Foundation’s (SBHF) Aging in Place Resident Life Program, through whih low-income seniors at SBHF properties are provided with opportunities to decrease isolation, enhance health awareness and resources, and keep their minds stimulated and active.
• New Carlisle Olive Township Public Library: $3,250
  This grant will support the free Senior Health Series offered by the New Carlisle-Olive Township Public Library (NCPL). Running from October 2022 through March 2023, the series includes exercise classes such as yoga, tai chi, stretch and release, and low-impact cardio, as well as two daytime healthy cooking classes designed for seniors. The program will also include healthcare screenings and health education.

ARTSEVERYWHERE GRANTS
ArtsEverywhere grants to local arts organizations are designed to raise artistic quality, strengthen volunteer and staff leadership, enhance the capacity of arts organizations and the arts community, foster and support local talent, and inspire community pride.

An ArtsEverywhere Major Venture grant was made to:

• South Bend Civic Theatre: $50,000
  Funding will support the second phase of South Bend Civic Theatre’s two-phase orchestra loft project, which will include a dedicated sound studio for up to 15 live musicians. The scope of the second phase includes acoustic glass shielding, sound dampening panels, a digital soundboard, microphones, amplifiers, and monitors. These investments will attract higher caliber musicians, control sound leveling, and allow the organization to better stage larger musicals.

ArtsEverywhere grants in this cycle focused on annual programming support and key annual event funding were made to:

• South Bend Civic Theatre: $35,000
• South Bend Museum of Art: $35,000
• South Bend Symphony Orchestra: $35,000
• Fischoff National Chamber Music Association: $10,000
• Southold Dance Theater: $10,000
• South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestras, Inc.: $7,500
• Downtown South Bend Foundation (DTSB): $5,000
• Robinson Community Learning Center/University of Notre Dame: $5,000
• Musical Arts Indiana, Inc.: $3,500
• The Main Stage, Inc.: $3,500
• Downtown South Bend Foundation: $3,000
• South Bend Heritage Foundation: $3,000
• The Acting Ensemble: $2,500
• South Bend Chamber Singers: $2,500

ArtsEverywhere grants focused on other project support were made to the following organizations:

• Merrimans’ Playhouse: $5,000
• South Bend Lyric Opera: $5,000
• The History Museum: $5,000
• Civil Rights Heritage Center, Indiana University South Bend: $2,815
• South Bend Venues, Parks and Arts: $2,500