Homer Foundation

October 2023 Newsletter

October Newsletter

How your giving has helped make a difference in your community.

Heather Pancratz Memorial Scholarship at Faith Christian Preschool

Congratulations Wesley! Wesley is the first recipient of the Heather Pancratz Memorial Scholarship at Faith Christian Preschool. The fund was started in memory of a beloved educator from the southern Kenai Peninsula, Heather Pancratz. Wesley’s mom, Alyssa shared the following: “We are happy to accept this generous donation toward Wesley’s first year with Homer Faith Christian Preschool. We are truly grateful to be part of furthering Heather’s commitment to youth, community and family. We look forward to the 2023-2024 school year with excitement and anticipation for all that’s to come.”

ALASKA WARRIOR PARTNERSHIP

The Alaska Warrior Partnership has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Community Grants Committee and Opportunity Fund in support of the AKWP Veteran Outreach and Engagement to Combat Isolation in Homer project. Over the next year, AKWP will host quarterly convenings to assist the Homer veteran community. Image: Alaska Warrior Project.

DAVID & MARY SCHROER FUND AWARDS $24k

The David & Mary Schroer Fund has designated 11 area schools and community organizations to receive a total of $24K: Homer Middle School, Homer Foundation Youth Advisory Committee, Homer High School Booster Club, KBBI Radio, Homer Community Food Pantry, Homer Mariner Softball, West Homer Elementary, Paul Banks Elementary, McNeil Canyon Elementary, Homer High School and Homer Flex School.

GUIDING GROWTH CONVERSATION

Homer’s Guiding Growth conversation series received a $2,050 grant from the Willow Fund to support a comprehensive community conversation training led by the Alaska Humanities Forum. Through civic discourse, good conversation, and relevant resources, Guiding Growth’s purpose is to empower diverse participation in the vision of how the Homer community develops.

To find out more, contact mercedesharness@gmail.com.

Update from the Executive Director

A good fall goes a long way to make up for a wet summer.

In honor of October being National Estate Planning Awareness Month, the Homer Foundation wants to honor our Legacy Society members (both named and anonymous). These are individuals who have included gifts to the community through a Homer Foundation fund in their estate plans. Whether it be a gift via a Will to establish a scholarship, provide a steady income to one of our area nonprofits, or provide funding for an area you were passionate about in your life, legacy gifts have become an important way for people to continue in death what they loved in life.

Your dream matters and your gift counts. Legacy gifts help the foundation fulfill its mission of connecting generosity to community needs. We can work with you and your estate representative to ensure your gift makes the impact you wanted it to make, while at the same time working to minimize tax impacts so more of your estate does what you intended it to do.

If you’re not satisfied with your estate plans (will, trust, beneficiary designations), or your life situation has changed, please take time this month to schedule a time with your estate planner. At the same time, connect with me at the Homer Foundation and we can help you find the right place to give. mmiller@homerfoundation.org or 907-235-0551.

If you want to know more about the Foundation’s Legacy giving follow this link: https://www.homerfoundation.org/homer-foundation-legacy-society/

Philanthropy Fact of the Month

The five pillars of philanthropy: inclusion, transparency, empowerment, collaboration and celebration.

September 2024 Newsletter

How your giving has helped make a difference in your community.

Recent Grants

KACHEMAK BAY LIONS CLUB

Kachemak Bay Lions Club provides Thanksgiving food baskets to families in need each year, and have been doing for over 30 years. Last year, they were able to provide baskets to 193 families, serving 670 people, and they anticipate providing approximately 200 families this year. Due to the COVID pandemic, their traditional fundraising model is no longer successful and they have requested this grant during their transition to a new fundraising model. They have received $5,000 from the Homer Foundation.

RAZDOLNA SCHOOL

Razdlona School is planning on building a shed and selling it as a practical application of math skills for their students. They are receiving a $4,272 grant from two donor advised funds of the Homer Foundation. The grant is split between the Dave and Beth Schroer Fund and KLEPS Fund. After the kids have finished the lesson, the project shed will be sold and the proceeds used as seed money for future programs going forward.

Update from the Executive Director

And just like that….. it’s fall.

Why a “community foundation?”

Some of you may be considering starting a personal or family charitable fund. Lots of investment companies can do that for you. As a matter of fact, they will ask you to keep your funds with them. So why consider using a community foundation? Are there any benefits? Yes, and very important benefits if you have general or specific goals for your giving.

Here are eight reasons…..

1. Personal local service. You don’t have to call a 1-800 number routed to Denver or New York to get in contact with us. We offer our donors a personalized level of service tailored to their needs. At the Homer Foundation, you can call directly to Lauren or I who can work with you, your family and your professional advisor to provide a customized giving plan. We can meet over coffee, at your kitchen table or in the office, wherever you’re comfortable.

For example, when one recent donor wanted to create two special funds with her estate, we sat down in our office mapping out her wishes, and created a unique giving plan for her estate. “I just feel like you guys understood what I wanted to do,” said the donor.

2. Local Commitment. We’ve been here for 33 years and given out over $5,000,000 right here in our communities. Our local Board of Trustees is made up of knowledgeable community leaders and volunteers like you, who serve as the policy makers and ambassadors for the Homer Foundation.

3. Local Area Expertise We provide donors with localized community expertise. Not sure where the community needs are? Ask us. We make grants to many of the same nonprofits our donors support. We work closely with non profits across our area and understand their needs. This deep understanding allows us to help you align and make the most impact with your charitable dollars.

4. We can help donors manage their long-term legacy. With the Homer Foundation, donors have many options for building a lasting legacy. Whether you want to support a single agency or an entire field like “social services” or “the environment” we can help you reach that goal.

5. Effective giving solutions. Our agility to create custom giving plans helps you maximize the tax advantages of giving, creating a donor-advised fund, or using beneficiary designations. We help donors to identify the best way to carry out their philanthropic goals. We are the perfect partner to help manage a meaningful and lasting charitable legacy.

6. We accept a wide range of assets. In addition to accepting gifts of cash or stock, we also accept a range of non-cash assets such as real estate, annuities, life insurance, metals, vehicles, other valuable personal property and more. We can help donors and their professional advisors identify which assets would be best to give.

7. Immediate and Long-Term Impact. The Homer Foundation is committed to the stewardship of assets to ensure that the charitable goals of donors are met now and for generations to come. We also have shorter term giving options to see a more immediate impact of giving.

8. Privacy. You decide when or whether you want to be recognized for your gift or remain anonymous. You can feel secure in knowing that your personal information will never be disclosed.

By giving through a community foundation, you are supporting local philanthropy and the causes you care about in a long-term manner.

Apologies on the tardiness of this email, we have been busy!

Philanthropy Fact of the Month

In 2022, the largest source of charitable giving came from individuals, representing 64% of total giving.

City of Homer Grant Program: Now Accepting Applications

The City of Homer Grants program is now open and accepting applications until March 1st, 2024.

A reminder, this program is made possible through an annual allocation from the City of Homer and annual earnings from the City of Homer endowment funds. Criteria have been established taking into consideration the City of Homer’s intent to support locally based non-profit organizations that provide services within the City of Homer.

This funding is for general operating support for organizations who provide programs and services that enhance the life for the residents of the City of Homer.

This year, $34,000 is available in this competitive grants process.

Apply

A reminder that the previous year’s evaluation must be submitted by February 24, 2024 in order to be eligible for this years funding as well.

Evaluation

Contact the Office and Programs Manager Lauren Seaton at lseaton@homerfoundation.org or 907-235-0544 with any questions or concerns.

2023 Annual Meeting

Reminder: Annual Meeting this Week

Please join us this week for our Annual Meeting as we celebrate the good work of grant recipients and generosity of donors who help to make the Southern Kenai Peninsula a better place to live. Enjoy a glass of wine or a cup of tea, visit with friends and neighbors, community leaders and donors.

The meeting features the presentation of our latest annual report, including investment performance review, highlights from our grant programs, and stories of how you, the donors, are strengthening our community.

In addition, you have a chance to win one of three different $500 People’s Choice Award mini-grants for your favorite eligible nonprofit. Each person registered by 6:00 PM will be entered for a chance at nominating an eligible nonprofit from the Southern Kenai Peninsula to receive one of these awards!

We are your community foundation, we hope to see you there.

Please note: this is an in person meeting, no Zoom available

2023 YAC Grant Program Opens

Did you see the exciting news from the Homer Foundation: the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) Grant program is now live and accepting applications through November 28th, 2023? This program is accepting applications from organizations that provide programs or services to the youth of the southern Kenai Peninsula. You are included because your organization has received funding from this program before or I thought it might be of interest.

This year, the committee is looking to support projects or programs that support any youth program/project on the southern Kenai Peninsula. Preference is for out-of-school programming and for programs that target some or all of the 4-14 age range.

For more information or to apply, find our application here.

This is a competitive grant program with a total amount of $20,000 awarded.

Apply by November 28, 2023.

Do reach out if you have any questions or concerns to Office and Programs Manager Lauren Seaton at lseaton@homerfoundation.org or 907-235-0544.

August 2023 Newsletter: Summer… finally

How your giving has helped make a difference in your community

Recent Grants

Burning Basket: $1,200 from Bryce Golden Memorial and Opportunity Funds

Burning Basket is celebrating 20 years and has received a $1,200 grant from the Homer Foundation to support project expenses.

This is a grassroots community interactive, impermanent art experience that builds community and empowers individuals through creativity and imagination. All ages are invited to participate in the building of a large outdoor intricately woven sculpture at Mariner Park Sept. 3-9, daily from 11am-8pm, to learn new skills and share ideas, and to decorate it in the theme of gratitude, remembrance of departed loved ones and personal unburdening. The basket, as temporary art, is ultimately ignited and burned as a performance of fire-art to symbolically disperse our collective positive intentions and is experienced by many as public art as a healing force. This year’s theme is CREATE – Basket of Remembrance & Unburdening.

Alaska World Arts: $5,000 from Opportunity Fund

Alaska World Arts aims to cultivate global connections through the arts. While they can’t take a whole community to see how other cultures live, Alaska World Arts is working to bring those cultures to

Homer and expose our community to a broader worldview.

AWA recently received a $5,000 Quick Response Grant from the Opportunity Fund for costs associated with the production of a night of two musical performances with AbbaFab, an Abba tribute band; a night of storytelling with an NPR Moth winner, a New Zealand storyteller, homesteader Atz

Kilcher, a black history storyteller, and a world-traveler; African dance and drumming workshops; and an international

dance performance.

Nanwalek IRA: $4,032 Grant from the Opportunity Fund

The Nanwalek IRA Council has run a summer youth worker program for over twenty years. With the first round of COVID relief funding, the council also decided to purchase a greenhouse, with the intention for the summer youth worker program to maintain the greenhouse each summer with food produced for the entire village of Nanwalek. In addition to planting, the youth are learning about seed gathering, fertilizing, and composting while waiting for the plants to grow. They received a grant of $4,032 from the Homer Foundation to implement this program.

Annual Donor Thank You Picnic

The Foundation’s 2023 thank you picnic for donors was our best-attended ever. After welcoming 60 guests a year ago, this year’s picnic drew 80 donors!

A special tribute video was shown and a presentation was made to mark a significant lifetime giving milestone by Dave & Beth Schroer, who have heavily invested in our local community, particularly in the schools. The Schroer’s lifetime contributions to the Homer Foundation have now reached $1 Million!

In addition, our Executive Director, Mike Miller, and our Board President, Van Hawkins, both spoke and gave updates on the state of the Foundation. Giving in fiscal year 2023 was exceptional, and enabled the Foundation to do some robust grant making right here at home on the Southern Kenai Peninsula. We had an increase of 90 donors this year, up a whopping 25% over our last fiscal year. We had 313 donors a year ago, but this year went over 400 donors, our most ever! We have also reached $10 Million in total donations since our founding in 1991, as well as $5 Million granted out to the community. What a year of milestones!

Whether you were able to make it to the picnic or not, we are grateful for every one of our donors, and every dollar given. You are the ones who make it possible to improve the quality of life for residents of our communities – from Ninilchik to Nanwalek, and everywhere in between!

Update from the Executive Director

Summer… finally

Staff Transition

As many of you know, 7/31 was Director of Development and Marketing Jonathan Hamilton’s last day with the Homer Foundation. Jonathan did a great job making the Homer Foundation better known in our area. Through social media, mailings, and radio he spread information about the good work of the Homer Foundation. He is looking forward to spending time with his family and being a pastor of a church in Anchor Point. We will miss him.

The good news is that after recruiting all over Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, we have found our next Director of Development and Marketing right here in Homer. Jennifer Gibbins will start in the position on September 5th. Most recently Jennifer was the executive director of the Pratt Museum until March of this year. Before that, Jennifer held several communications and executive positions in nonprofits in Alaska. Jennifer brings great experience, nonprofit knowledge about marketing and fundraising, and a passion for this area. We look forward to having her on board.

Summer. Get out and enjoy it while it’s here!

Mike

Philanthropy Fact of the Month

Charities need flexibility in how they use donations. Designating money to a specific project is great, but you should also consider giving without conditions, allowing the organization the flexibility to meet changing needs – including just keeping the lights on.

Learn More.

May Newsletter: New Eggs Benefit Fundraiser and Friendraiser Breakfast

Your giving has helped make a difference in your community!

2023 “Eggs Benefit” Fundraiser + Friendraiser Breakfast

New breakfast event off with a bang!

Many thanks to the attendees and especially the table captains who made this event a success. With your help we raised nearly $50,000 for the foundation’s work. Whether you came and donated or just learned more about the Homer Foundation, we’re grateful you joined us.

A special thank you to our anonymous $5,000 match donor! Thank you Land’s End and Wagon Wheel for your sponsorship. We’re already looking forward to 2024!

Recent Grants

Bunnell Street Arts Center – $5,000 Opportunity Fund Grant

Bunnell received a quick-response grant from the Homer Foundation’s Opportunity Fund this month to “support a year of artist residencies focused on health, healing, and sparking joy.”

The project was inspired by post-pandemic realities for Alaskans such as stress, depression, and loss of hope.

Bunnell notes that this program will, “cultivate artistic skill and imagination, celebrate and share the diversity of Alaska’s cultures, and promote creative play that inspires joy while also enhancing mental and/or physical health.”

The artist residencies will be from one week to one month long, and applicants will be reviewed through a competitive jury process. Bunnell is partnering with the likes of the City of Homer, Ninilchik Village Tribe, Chugachmiut, KPBSD, US Fish & Wildlife Visitors Center, and/or a local service organization such as the R.E.C. Room teen center, Haven House, South Peninsula Behavioral Health, or Kachemak Bay Conservation Society.

Friends of the Homer Public Library- $4,990 Opportunity Fund Grant

FHPL received a quick-response grant from the Homer Foundation’s Opportunity Fund this month to support their “Summer @HPL 2023 Reading & Learning Program” June 1 – July 29.

The program “promotes literacy and provides kids, teens, and families with exciting opportunities to engage in informal learning at the Homer Public Library.”

FHPL works hard to connect local youth to visiting mentors and experts. Participants learn new skills and also connect to the library in different and unique ways.

The national theme this year is “Find Your Voice,” and encourages families to engage in the program and express themselves.

Pier One Theatre- $5,000 Opportunity Fund Grant

Pier One received a quick-response grant from the Homer Foundation’s Opportunity Fund this month to support five summer camps for youth ages 5-17.

The program features a variety of offerings such as “Cosmic Hamlets: Shakescene, with the students delving into the works of Shakespeare; Theatre Play, the opportunity to create and explore onstage; Store on the Stage, introducing students to the elements of plot, setting, character, and dialogue; and Production and Theatre Skills with a fully staged theatrical production of Anne of Green Gables.”

Additionally, Pier One will be taking its show in the road this year by offering a Seldovia Drama Camp where students will “explore a wide variety of theatrical techniques and styles with scene study and improv exercises.”

Giving Opportunity: Bear Creek Festival

June 3rd – 1:00 – 5:00 PM

Announcing the 4th Bear Creek Winery Music Festival!

This is the largest donor-driven fundraiser for any Homer Foundation fund, and is sponsored by the Winery. 100% of all the proceeds from this event go to the Nikki Geragotelis (Fry) Memorial Scholarship Fund, and the Homer Mariner Girl’s Softball Fund–both benefiting the athletes of Homer High School.

Come enjoy live music, local food and drinks, fabulous prizes, auctions, and you get a cookie at the end (all included).
This year’s headliner is Black Water Railroad from Seward. Hope to see you all there on June 3rd at 1:00!

Get Show Details and Tickets on Eventbrite.com, the Bear Creek Winery facebook page, or by contacting Bill Fry at: (907) 299-1689.

Update from the Executive Director

City of Homer Grants Program

One of the services we provide is the administration of the City of Homer Grants program. Beginning in 2001, the City of Homer and the Homer Foundation entered into an agreement to provide general operating dollars to eligible area nonprofits. The majority of the funding comes from an annual allocation within the City of Homer’s budget, as well as any additional ATS (spendable income) from the City’s field of interest fund.

To be eligible, a non profit must meet two criteria: 1) have an office in the City of Homer and provide services here; 2) Have been operating for at least three years and receiving no other support (monetary or otherwise) from the City of Homer. One other feature that differentiates this program from other grant programs at the Homer Foundation is that this program splits a preestablished pool of grant dollars. The committee, which is comprised of Homer Foundation Board members and community members, decides annually how to divide the pool of grant money.

Grant monies totaled $34,000 this year and were awarded to 13 local non-profits. We are currently featuring one each Monday on our Facebook page. This year, the Homer Foundation 2023 City of Homer Grant awards are:

HOMER COUNCIL ON THE ARTS $3,500

HOMER COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY $3,500

KACHEMAK NORDIC SKI CLUB $3,500

HOMER HOCKEY ASSOCIATION $3,000

HOMER FARMERS MARKET $3,000

HOSPICE OF HOMER $3,000

KBBI $3,000

SPROUT $2,750

BUNNELL STREET ARTS CENTER $2,000

CENTER FOR ALASKAN COASTAL STUDIES $2,000

KACHEMAK BAY FAMILY PLANNING CLINIC $2,000

KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST $1,500

COOK INLETKEEPER $1,500

Historical Awards:

Organization Total Awarded & Number of Times Awarded

Since 2001 the Homer Foundation has awarded $682,161 to area nonprofits through 228 grants given under this program. It is a difficult task to review organizations with very different missions, but all committee members have agreed that these nonprofits are high-functioning organizations providing valuable programs and services to the community.

Economic Impact

The relatively small size of the grants belies the true impact of our nonprofit community. Each year, we take the opportunity to compile a synopsis of the economic impact of the nonprofits that have submitted applications. In 2022, these organizations generated over $7.7 million in revenues, including $3.9 million in new money coming into Homer from State, Federal, and Foundation grants. They also employ 106 full, part-time, and seasonal employees with combined personnel expenses exceeding $4 million. The data from these organizations help to illustrate just how important Homer’s nonprofit sector is as an economic driver in our economy.

These organizations are also able to leverage additional funding with City support. The community benefits because a strong nonprofit community makes Homer a safer, healthier, and more vibrant place to live, play, and work.

We are glad to partner with the City of Homer in this program and happy to provide this service at no cost to the City.

Congratulations to the 2023 City of Homer grant recipients. Keep up the amazing work you do.

Mike

Philanthropy Fact of the Month

More than 95 percent of people participate in charitable giving!

April 2023 Newsletter: End of Life Giving Part III

Recent Grants

Your giving has helped make a difference in your community!

Hospice of Homer

Hospice received a $5,000 Quick Response Grant to help with the production of educational videos that will help tell the story of Hospice to our local community for the purpose of increasing awareness and engagement.

Hospice has partnered with Affinity Films, a professional non-profit media production company, to produce five short 60-second films, and one longer film consisting of the five short clips edited together. Affinity Films has produced films for many Alaska non-profits including Girl Scouts of Alaska, Bristol Bay Native Corp., and The Arc of Anchorage.

The films produced for Hospice of Homer will depict the breadth of services Hospice of Homer has to offer and explore the value of volunteerism. Holly Dramis, Executive Director of Hospice summarizes the value of these videos well by stating, “Many people in our community think of Hospice of Homer as a support system for end-of-life. Though that’s true, it’s the smallest portion of what we do. We will use these short videos to make the community aware that we are here to support anyone who wants to borrow medical equipment: a pair of crutches for a twisted ankle or a hospital bed to ease recovery from major surgery. We are here to help anyone experiencing grief with one-on-one discussion, group support, and more. We work to connect volunteers with those who need light housekeeping and errands, transportation and company to a movie or other local event, someone to read a book aloud or shovel a walk.”

These films will help tell that story better in our local community.

North Gulf Oceanic Society

NGOS received a $4,990 Quick Response Grant to help support their 2023-24 Harbor Porpoise Research Project in Kachemak Bay and nearby waters. The Society is a small non-profit in Homer and Seward, Alaska, dedicated to whale research and education since 1984. They keep track of more than 950 killer whales in the Kenai Fjords, Prince William Sound, and the Gulf of Alaska (including Kachemak Bay and lower Cook Inlet) through Photo ID. They have nearly 40 years of long-term monitoring history, and work to demonstrate trends in population health, impacts of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, response to food availability, and changing temperatures.

This harbor porpoise project will allow them to learn more about the abundance, ecology, biology, and threats to this species, of which little is known. And since harbor porpoises are considered an important indicator species of the overall health of the ocean (a “sentinel species”), learning more about the species tends to reveal more about the health of the overall ecosystem in which they live.

This grant will help NGOS to engage select local students to join the research activities for Summer 2023, which include 24 bi-weekly harbor porpoise surveys (May-August); and it will also allow NGOS to continue weekly-to-monthly (weather dependent) survey and water sampling August 2023 through April 2024.

KBBI Public Radio

KBBI was awarded a $5,000 Quick Response Grant this month to assist with their Transmitter Solar project. KBBI is organizing funding to install a 25kw solar array at their transmitter, which they estimate will result in an annual savings of $6,000 and will ultimately replace 18% of their current electrical usage!

The total project cost is just over $100,000 and KBBI hope to cover about 2/3 of that through grants, with the other 1/3 coming through their own funds. The plan is to start the project immediately and finish no later than Fall 2023, though possibly much sooner (perhaps in time to reap electrical savings all summer!).

Update from the Executive Director

End of Life Giving, Part III (continued from March Newsletter):

Happy April in Alaska……when it can be winter and spring all at the same time.

I’ve been talking about end-of-life (bequest) gifts. To recap: There is a significant transfer of wealth beginning which will take 15-20 years to unfold and will shift $30-$40 trillion dollars to the next generation. Unless something is done to steer where this wealth goes, that transfer will end the relationships the Baby Boomer generation had with the causes and organizations they cared about in life. Forever. Add to this fact that Generation X is 33% smaller than the Baby Boom generation and that will only exacerbate this future funding problem for non-profits.

We also talked about the many ways to leave a bequest gift and who those gifts may come from. You don’t have to be rich to leave an end-of-life gift. Most people making end-of-life gifts aren’t rich. Some gifts are easy, some are more complex. All of them make a difference. All of them are worth giving.

So what’s the bottom line?

This shift will have a significant impact on fundraising for nonprofits. Because of our unique mission, community foundations have a pivotal role to play in this watershed moment.

Expertise and Information

Community foundations provide the needed expertise in dealing with all manner of gifts. Art, precious metals, stocks, real estate, and even vehicles. We have dealt with all of the above. We have both the 10,000-foot view, and an up-close understanding of community needs because of the grants we make. We are engaging daily with all types of non-profits. We hear their needs and help them succeed. We have a deep understanding of our local South Peninsula communities and the challenges they face.

Forever Solutions for Donors

We create solutions for donors who want to support the causes or nonprofits they care about. We can create custom charitable funds – as unique as you are – for the causes you are passionate about. Love cats and music? For one donor, we created a fund for cat care and music. Love Girl Scouts? One donor wanted to support travel costs for girls, so we created a fund for that. Passionate about people? Another donor wanted to support all social services, so we created a broad fund for that.

What are you passionate about?

What gets you riled up when you think about it? What makes you sigh when you think about it? What local agency can’t you imagine your community without? We can create a fund to fulfill your philanthropic dreams. Broad or narrow, we can create the solution you want to see and manage it forever. When you give through an endowed fund at a community foundation, your life’s work can live on in your community doing good, year after year, forever.

Talk to us about your dreams.

Philanthropy Fact of the Month

9% of all US charitable giving is done via end-of-life (bequest) giving. This represents a dollar value of $46 billion and the number is growing!

Scam affecting Homer Foundation

We have been recently contacted by various individuals alerting us to someone who is utilizing our email address while advertising housing assistance. They are offering support to individuals and asking for personal information (like drivers license and social security numbers) via social media sites. Once they have received your personal information, they discontinue communication.

The Homer Foundation does not offer support to individuals besides specific scholarships. We also do not ask for personal information unless you are applying through our scholarship management software Smarter Select.

If you are contacted by an organization saying they are the Homer Federal Grant Association/Administration asking for personal information, we recommend reporting that account immediately.

July 2023 Newsletter: Homer Community Chest

~How your giving has helped make a difference in your community~

The Homer Community Chest

Through our community partner, the Homer Community Food Pantry, the Foundation’s “Homer Community Chest” provided $22,650 in emergency funding to support families and individuals in times of need this fiscal year (July 2022 – June 2023).

The Homer Community Food Pantry is our point of contact for emergency aid. They administer the “Emergency Non-Food Aid Program” in which candidates are interviewed and the staff at the food pantry determine the needs for families. These needs range from automotive, to temporary housing, utilities, transportation, and hygiene for families that find themselves unable to cover the costs during a certain period of time. On average, they serve 35 households a month.

They are located in the basement of Homer Community Methodist Church, 770 East End Rd. Hours of Operation are Mondays, 9 am to 4 pm.

NEW FUNDS

Sheldon Purcell Fund

Robert and Melon Purcell have established the Sheldon Purcell Fund in memory of their son. This is the second such fund the Purcell’s have founded at the Homer Foundation, and the purpose of this one is to support youth-led, youth-focused grantmaking by the Homer Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC). This non-endowed, donor-advised fund will make annual matching grants to enhance the pool of money that the YAC has to work with each year in their youth-led, youth-focused decision-making process. This will effectively double the current amount of money that the YAC is able to grant annually, doubling the community impact. We look forward to a lot more youth-led community philanthropy

Ninilchik Community Fund

The Ninilchik area has come together to establish their first community fund with the Homer Foundation. Ninilchik has an active civic population and several non-profits caring for the community. Led by founding donors ARCHES Alaska and Lara McGinnis, the Ninilchik Community Fund has already met the $10,000 minimum threshold to become an active fund at the Foundation (active funds are able to begin grantmaking.) Many area residents have expressed their excitement about this new way to give back to their community. We’re excited with them and can’t wait to see how they grow!

This fund is an exciting strategic addition to the Foundation, as we seek to underscore the breadth of our service area – from Ninilchik to Nanwalek, and everywhere in between. We now have community funds established for Anchor Point, Homer, Kachemak City, and Ninilchik, and are eager to work with any other South Peninsula communities to establish your fund!

Update from the Executive Director

Seasons

Every season is different. I am blessed to have 15 native oval leaf blueberry plants on my property. Last year at this point the berries were beginning to ripen. This year they are mostly still little green buds. Apparently a little sunshine can make a difference.

I am by nature incrementalistic. I’ve always believed that many small changes over time create a more permanent change in direction. In the same way, relationships build trust through a sustained record of actions and accomplishments. Change can come quickly based on a shared traumatic experience, but wouldn’t it be better to avoid the trauma?

This is our birthday month. July 1991. As we begin our 33rd year the Foundation has seen many changes, some gradual, some fast. both have strengthened us. Through these changes we have grown.

Our assets under management are at an all time high, over $5.7million.
We have been donated over $10 million.
We have more philanthropic funds (84) than ever.
We have granted out over $5 million in to our community.

We cannot say “thank you” enough to all of our amazing donors. We have seen plenty of change, both internal and external. We’ve had sun and we’ve had rain. The rain falls on everyone as they say. At the Homer Foundation, when it does rain we break out the Grunden’s and keep growing.

Two quick internal announcements:

In recognition of her professional growth and addition of significant responsibilities in the areas of finance and programs, Executive Assistant Lauren Seaton has been promoted to the position of Office and Program Manager. Congratulations, Lauren.

Our Director of Development and Marketing, Jonathan Hamilton, will be leaving us at the end of this month. We will miss Jonathan and the energy he has brought to making the Homer Foundation better known in our service area. Jonathan also pastors a church in Anchor Point so we wish him well as he focuses more on his pastoral and family responsibilities. We are recruiting for the position and hope to have a candidate soon.

Have a great summer!

Mike

PS. Rain or shine, I’m always looking for a ride to China Poot!

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