How your giving makes a difference in communities from
Nanwalek to Ninilchik and everywhere in between.
Please help spread the word…Grant Opportunity
Youth Advisory Committee
Awarding $20,000 this year
Grant Applications Open until November 28, 2023
For details and to apply, click here.
Questions? Contact info@homerfoundation.org
Community Cares Fund Kicks Off!
As a donor, do you like the rewarding feeling of responding to the community’s most urgent needs? Have you ever day-dreamed about creating an individual or family charitable legacy at the Homer Foundation? The new Community Cares Fund (CCF) may be just what you are looking for.
You can get started today with a CCF investment of just $5,000 – and even less! For the first 10 donors to the fund, just $2,500 gets your CCF rolling thanks to a generous 1:1 match from the Homer Foundation Board. From here, you can begin to build your legacy.
Next, give your fund a name. It might be a family name, a clever name, or any name that is meaningful to you. You may also remain anonymous. Either way, your direct investment in your CCF is never touched. It is pooled with other CCFs and invested to grow into the future under the management of the Vanguard Group, Inc., an American registered investment advisor, overseen locally by the Homer Foundation Finance Committee.
As return on your CCF grows, it is invested back into the community thru grants awarded under the guidance of the Community Grants Committee. This group evaluates incoming grant proposals to determine the most urgent community needs and greatest opportunities for impact.
Add investment to your CCF over time, at your own pace and enjoy that rewarding feeling of building your legacy while helping to support community today.
To find out more, contact Mike Miller, Executive Director, today!
907-235-0551
Celebrating the Work of Recent Grant Recipients
Anchor Point Library
“We have patrons from Homer to Ninilchik that regularly make use of our library. We offer services to everyone who comes through our doors. We have found that computer use is a big part of the services patrons are seeking.”
The Anchor Point Library serves thousands of area patrons every year. A $10,000 Community Impact grant from the Homer Foundation will help the library replace broken and out-of-date computer equipment vastly improving the library’s ability to manage operations and serve patrons.
HCOA
“Jam sessions are a crucial component of musical education and development, providing a framework and structure for participants to explore their musical
voice, style, and technique.”
Homer Council on the Arts launched community jam sessions in 2022 as a forum for community members to
gather in a no-pressure artistic and creative space. Sessions are egalitarian in nature; each individual makes their own selection or passes. Some attendees
prefer to sing along or just listen. A $4,800 Quick Response grant from the Homer Foundation provides funding for additional jam session equipment and facilitator honoraria.
West Homer
“Our program gives a
large number of children the opportunity to try this fantastic recreational
opportunity in our town when they otherwise would not be able to.”
Begun in the 1990s, the West Homer Elementary Cross County Ski program serves up to 60 students each year. While some students have their own ski equipment, many do not, opting to utilize skis, poles and boots provided through the program. A $5,000 Quick Response grant will provide funding needed to replace 19 sets of equipment that are at the end of their usable life.
Thank you
& Welcome
“We live in a wonderful community and this is a way I can add sustained value.”
Lawrence Radcliff
This month we say thank you to two board members and welcome to our newest!
Terri Spigelmyer and Lawrence Radcliff are completing their service on our board. Terri Spigelmyer is a past board president and vice president. Most recently she has served as Development Committee Chair, leading new efforts such as the annual spring Eggs Benefit fundraiser which raised over $47,000 last year. Terri has graciously committed to continue serving on the Development Committee.
Prior to joining the board, Lawrence Radcliff served on our Community Grants Committee. The experience inspired him to join our board where he continued to be a champion for community projects including the SPARC, and philanthropy, also serving on the Foundation’s Development Committee.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Bill Bell to our board. Dr. Bell arrived in Homer in 1981, working with Dr. Eneboe. Shortly thereafter, Eneboe and Bell founded the Homer Medical Clinic. Bell has been a donor to the Foundation since it’s inception with a particular interest in supporting the Health Care Providers Scholarship Fund and the Homer Mariner Fast Pitch Softball Fund. Interested in helping Dr. Bell grow these funds? He has a pitch to make!
Update from the Executive Director
2023 Fat Bear competition hosted annually by the National Park Service.
Impactful Donations
Here is a little non-profit “inside baseball” for you. Almost half of nonprofits (47%) start their end of year giving in November. Over 30% of all giving in the United States happens in December of each year. For the Homer Foundation it is also the giving season. While knowing when is good, knowing why people give is even more important
Most giving is a response to one of several areas. Reasons like personal connection to the issue or cause, positive experience with the nonprofit, social influence or being asked by a friend all are important to donors. What I want to focus on here is donations making an impact.
When donors see the impact their donations made, they are willing to give more to make a progressively bigger impact. Ninety-seven percent of donors cite the impact of their gift as the main reason for giving. Donors want to make a difference. It’s not about need. It’s about impacting that need.
Will a donation to the Homer Foundation make an impact? Yes. Your gift to the Homer Foundation makes an impact where it’s needed most. Right now, through the end of the year your gift can make twice the impact due to a generous challenge match by Dave and Beth Schroer. The Schroers will match the first $25,000 in donations to the Homer Foundation Opportunity Fund. The Opportunity Fund is how we make the grants that are most needed in our communities. Grants supporting youth activities, supporting food programs, care for veterans and much, much more.
As you consider your giving this season, make the biggest impact. If you want to hear more about your donation’s impact, come to our annual meeting (above) and mix and mingle with your friends as we unveil our latest annual report.
Make an impact on what you’re passionate about!
Philanthropy Reflection of the Month
“Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work,
but neither are you free to abandon it.”
Rob Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief & Development