Harrison County Community Foundation Inc

OUR MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND ASSIST EVERYONE TO EXPERIENCE PHILANTHROPY, PRODUCING POSITIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN HARRISON COUNTY. OUR VISION IS TO GROW HARRISON COUNTY INTO THE BEST COMMUNITY TO LIVE, WORK AND RAISE A FAMILY. WE VALUE GENEROSITY, INTEGRITY, SUSTAINABILITY, STEWARDSHIP, INNOVATION, COLLABORATION, INCLUSION, AND EXCELLENCE.

OUR MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND ASSIST EVERYONE TO EXPERIENCE PHILANTHROPY, PRODUCING POSITIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN HARRISON COUNTY. OUR VISION IS TO GROW HARRISON COUNTY INTO THE BEST COMMUNITY TO LIVE, WORK AND RAISE A FAMILY. WE VALUE GENEROSITY, INTEGRITY, SUSTAINABILITY, STEWARDSHIP, INNOVATION, COLLABORATION, INCLUSION, AND EXCELLENCE.HARRISON COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION (HCCF) HAS A UNIQUE HISTORY. IN A RIVERBOAT GAMING DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT DATED MAY 15, 1996, RDI/CAESARS RIVERBOAT, LLC AGREED WITH THE HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE $5,000,000 TO CREATE THE FOUNDATION. THE THREE SEATED COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SELECTED 21 HARRISON COUNTY CITIZENS TO BECOME THE FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS. OVER TIME HCCF GREW TO INCLUDE SEVEN FULL TIME STAFF, A 15-MEMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND MULTIPLE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS.BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CAESARS SOUTHERN INDIANA CASINO (FORMERLY HORSESHOE SOUTHERN INDIANA), HCCF HAS BEEN ABLE TO EMBARK ON SEVERAL AMBITIOUS PROJECTS. HCCF FUNCTIONS AS ANY OTHER COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR DONORS TO SUPPORT THEIR FAVORITE CAUSES. ADDITIONALLY, THE ONGOING SUPPORT FROM CAESARS SOUTHERN INDIANA CASINO ENABLES HCCF TO OFFER VARIOUS GIFT MATCHING PROGRAMS. THE HARRISON COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION VALUES ITS ROLE AS A CATALYST, CONVENER, AND COLLABORATOR, BRINGING OTHER FUNDERS AND NONPROFITS TOGETHER AROUND VITAL ISSUES AND ADDING KEY SUPPORT TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE POSSIBLE. OUR WORK IS CENTERED AROUND WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT COMMUNITY NEEDS. WE SERVE RESIDENTS OF HARRISON COUNTY IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS: AWARDING GRANTS TO HELP NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE NEEDED SERVICES IN ARTS AND CULTURE, EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, ETC. AWARDING ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS TO HARRISON COUNTY GRADUATING STUDENTS AND ADULT STUDENTS FUNDING PROGRAMS BENEFITING CHILDREN, YOUTH AND ADULTS.HELPING NONPROFITS BE MORE SUSTAINABLE SO THEY CAN HELP MORE COUNTY RESIDENTS THRIVE. DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY PROJECT THIS PROGRAM ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO READ TO THEIR CHILDREN BY PROVIDING EACH PRESCHOOL CHILD ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM AN AGE APPROPRIATE BOOK IN THE MAIL EACH MONTH UNTIL THEIR FIFTH BIRTHDAY. AN AVERAGE OF 1,512 PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WERE ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM DURING 2021 WITH 18,149 BOOKS MAILED. CHILDREN CAN BE ENROLLED THROUGH THE FOUNDATION OR AT ONE OF THE PARTICIPATING PARTNERS; HARRISON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, YMCA OF HARRISON COUNTY, HARRISON COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES, HARRISON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND HARRISON COUNTY HOSPITAL. ENCOURAGED BY THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS AGREED TO CONTINUE FUNDING THE COST. THE EARLY READERS FUND, WHICH SUPPORTS THE DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY PROJECT, CONTINUES TO BENEFIT FROM A 2:1 MATCH. THE DICTIONARY PROJECT THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES A DICTIONARY TO EVERY THIRD GRADER IN HARRISON COUNTY. STUDENTS ATTENDING THE NINE HARRISON COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS RECEIVE THEIR VERY OWN DICTIONARY TO USE AT SCHOOL AND TAKE HOME. A TOTAL OF 467 DICTIONARIES WERE DISTRIBUTED IN 2021. A TOTAL OF 7,088 HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED SINCE HCCF BEGAN PARTNERING WITH THE DICTIONARY PROJECT IN 2008. THE PROJECT'S GOAL IS TO ASSIST STUDENTS IN COMPLETING THE SCHOOL YEAR AS GOOD WRITERS, ACTIVE READERS AND CREATIVE THINKERS. YOUTH PHILANTHROPY COUNCIL THE YOUTH PHILANTHROPY COUNCIL (YPC) OF HARRISON COUNTY IS DESIGNED TO TEACH SKILLS, TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH TO GIVE AND SERVE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND TO MAKE PHILANTHROPY A "HABIT OF THE HEART" FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THE PROGRAM GOALS ARE TO PROMOTE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EXPERIENCES IN PHILANTHROPY, TO ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT COMMUNITY INITIATIVES WHICH YOUTH CARE ABOUT AND TO ENGAGE YOUTH THROUGH GIVING AND SERVING FOR THE COMMON GOOD. IN 2021 HCCF ENTERED INTO A ONE-YEAR PILOT PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERSHIP HARRISON COUNTY (LHC) TO INCORPORATE YPC AND LHC'S YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM INTO ONE. HCCF PROVIDED $3,000 TO SUPPORT PROGRAM COSTS. IN ADDITION YPC AWARDED $600 TO THE LANESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL AFTER PROM PROGRAM AS A PART OF ITS GRANT PROGRAM. THE YOUTH PHILANTHROPY FUND, WHICH PROVIDES YOUTH-LED GRANTMAKING DOLLARS, CONTINUES TO BENEFIT FROM A 2:1 MATCH. ENDOWMENTSHCCF HOLDS 298 ENDOWMENT FUNDS SUPPORTING A BROAD ARRAY OF ORGANIZATIONS AND CAUSES. THE TYPE OF FUNDS INCLUDES: DESIGNATED AGENCY, DONOR ADVISED, FIELD OF INTEREST, SCHOLARSHIP AND BUILDER'S FUNDS (UNRESTRICTED). THE MAIN PURPOSE OF AN ENDOWMENT IS TO PROVIDE A LONG-TERM AND GROWING SOURCE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR AN ORGANIZATION OR CAUSE. ENDOWMENT FUND BENEFICIARIES ACCESS THEIR FUNDS BY COMPLETING AN ENDOWMENT FUND GRANT REQUEST. ONCE THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN UTILIZED BENEFICIARIES SUBMIT A SHORT GRANT REPORT FORM TO HCCF. ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPSNEARLY HALF OF HCCF ENDOWMENT FUNDS ARE DEVOTED TO PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS. THE WIDE SCOPE OF SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA AND AWARDS ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE DIVERSE INTEREST OF THE DONORS WHO ESTABLISHED THEM. THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST SCHOLARSHIP FUND, ESTABLISHED BY HCCF, PROVIDES FUNDING FOR A $20,000 SCHOLARSHIP AT EACH OF THE FOUR HARRISON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS TO A STUDENT PLANNING TO ATTEND INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST. ALL SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AWARDED USING OBJECTIVE AND NONDISCRIMINATORY SELECTION PROCESSES. THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST SCHOLARSHIP FUND BENEFITS FROM A 2:1 MATCH.ALIGN SOUTHERN INDIANA ALIGN SOUTHERN INDIANA (ASI) IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION COMPRISED OF BUSINESS, EDUCATIONAL AND NONPROFIT COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THROUGH ASI, LEADERS FROM CLARK, FLOYD, HARRISON, SCOTT AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES CAME TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY A COMMON VISION FOR OUR REGION. THE INITIATIVE HAS IDENTIFIED THESE AREAS OF FOCUS: ECONOMIC AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT; EDUCATION; REGIONAL LEADERSHIP; QUALITY OF LIFE; QUALITY OF PLACE.THE MISSION OF ASI IS TO ACTIVELY FACILITATE A SHARED REGIONAL PROCESS THAT WILL ALIGN RESOURCES, ADDRESS NEEDS AND PRODUCE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS RESULTING IN OUR REGION ACHIEVING ITS POTENTIAL AS A BEST PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY. HCCF HAS SERVED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE FUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT OF ASI AND IS A SPONSORING STAKEHOLDER IN THE INITIATIVE. DUE TO THE SIMILARITY OF MANY OBJECTIVES, IN 2021 THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT "EDUCATION MATTERS SOUTHERN INDIANA" WAS FOLDED INTO THE ASI PROGRAM. BUILDING DYNAMIC BOARDS OF DIRECTORSHCCF REQUIRES ALL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS SUBMITTING A GRANT APPLICATION TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE SITTING BOARD MEMBER WHO HAS COMPLETED A CERTIFIED BOARD TRAINING PROGRAM. HCCF OFFERS TRAINING AT NO COST TO PARTICIPANTS UPON COMPLETION. FOUR TRAINING PROGRAMS WERE OFFERED IN 2021 WITH A TOTAL OF 41 PARTICIPANTS.TOWN PLANNING INITIATIVEHCCF IS USING THE IMPLEMENTATION GRANT OF $90,000 AND THE BOARD ENGAGEMENT GRANT OF $100,00 AWARDED IN 2020 FROM LILLY ENDOWMENT INC. TOWARD CREATING OR UPDATING A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND AN ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR EACH OF THE TEN INCORPORATED TOWNS IN HARRISON COUNTY. HCCF COMMITTED AN ADDITIONAL $528,624 TOWARD THE MULTI-YEAR PROJECT. IN 2021 THE WHEATLEY GROUP AND TAYLOR SIEFKER WILLIAMS DESIGN GROUP WERE CONTRACTED TO OVERSEE THE PROCESS. GOALS INCLUDE ENSURING EVERY TOWN RESIDENT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND CREATING PLANS THAT CAN BE USED TO LEVERAGE OUTSIDE FUNDING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE.