The generosity of the business community and private individuals in Michigan's Great Southwest continues to shine, as the Rotary Club of St. Joseph-Benton Harbor has officially opened the application process for the organization's 2016 funding cycle. Thanks to that generosity, this year's cycle includes $57,000 available to be awarded this fall.
This year's total of $57,000 will be awarded as determined by the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Rotary Club Foundation Board of Directors. The application deadline is September 16, 2016 and all details can be found at www.sjbhrotary.org.
To be eligible, a grant request must be for a minimum of $5,000 and must be submitted by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or governmental unit within the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor area. Emphasis is given for efforts that seek to provide better opportunities for youth and special needs populations. Requests for sectarian religious projects and programs, national fundraising efforts, political organizations or funds for program deficits or previously incurred obligations are not eligible.
Applications must either be postmarked before September 16, 2016 or hand-delivered to the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Rotary Club Foundation Secretary at 720 State Street in St. Joseph by 5:00pm EDT on September 16, 2016. Late applications will NOT be eligible for consideration.
Established in 1980, the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Rotary Club Foundation has awarded more than $715,000 in grants to area causes. The recipients from 2015 include Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor ($5,000), The Curious Kids Museum ($14,000), Disability Network of SWMI – Berrien/Cass ($7,500), Hospice at Home ($5,000), Sarett Nature Center, Inc. ($5,800), Senior Nutrition Services Region IV ($7,000), The Soup Kitchen ($5,000) and Volunteer Southwest Michigan, Inc. ($8,700).
The mission of the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Rotary Club Foundation is to improve lives in the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor community by supporting that focus on:
- Improvement of health
- Support of education
- Economic and community development
- Rotary International initiatives that have local impact
The resources of the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Rotary Club Foundation come from gifts made by Rotarians and other individuals, families, businesses and local organizations. A volunteer Board of Directors from the club set policy and approve all grants.
Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary club membership represents a cross-section of the community’s business and professional men and women. The world’s Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.
