- <h2>Gannett Foundation rewards Nonprofits</h2>
Gannett Foundation rewards Nonprofits
ClarionLedger.com
As nonprofits face deeper public funding cuts for programs that boost literacy and the arts, improve academic achievement and wage war on diabetes, private grants can fill some of the gaps.
On Wednesday, several nonprofits received an infusion of funds from community grants awarded locally by the Gannett Foundation.
The five Jackson-area organizations taking in a total of $22,000 were among the 510 recipients nationwide that collected $2.5 million from the foundation through its media organizations, including The Clarion-Ledger.
In presenting the grants, Clarion-Ledger President and Publisher Leslie Hurst said the mission of each group is " to serve the greater good."
"The nonprofits represented here do it by launching literacy programs, preparing students for the future, making the world
more beautiful with art, making our communities more livable with well- designed surroundings and helping children manage chronic disease," she said.
"We're here to recognize the good that each of you is doing in our community - and to further it with a grant."
A survey released this month by The Bridgespan Group showed nearly two- thirds of nonprofits across the country expect their government funding to dwindle over the next two to three years.
Among the programs facing the largest anticipated cuts are those that serve the homeless, elderly and other members of the most vulnerable populations.
The grants presented Wednesday were part of the latest round of awards from the Gannett Foundation, which in 2011 presented more than 900 totaling $3.9 million.
Locally, the largest grant - $10,000 - will help fund Imagination Library, a United Way of the Capital Area program that provides 60 free books to children in targeted ZIP codes.
This early education and literacy initiative, part of a nationwide partnership between other United Way groups and country music legend Dolly Parton, has adopted children living in certain areas of Jackson, Pelahatchie and Canton.
Its mission is to make certain children are prepared to start school by age 5, said Monica Daniels, vice president of resource development for United Way of the Capital Area.
The grant "will help get more books to more children," she said.
With its $2,000 award, the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi will advance its We Care 2 program, which furnishes educational materials, along with emergency and testing supplies, to families of children newly diagnosed with diabetes.
"Diabetes is a chronic illness; it's not going away," said Irena McClain, the foundation's associate director.
"It's so important for the families to have materials at home to help them understand what they're dealing with."
A $2,500 grant to the Public Education Forum of Mississippi will help fund Mississippi Scholars, which encourages academic excellence among under- achieving students.
"It's geared to the students who can do well but don't understand why they need to," said Vickie Powell, CEO of the forum.
In 80 participating school districts, the program dispatches community leaders to classrooms to inspire students and explain the relevancy of taking rigorous courses, Powell said.
It's one way to ensure the state has a qualified work force, she said.
A $5,000 grant to the Mississippi Museum of Art will foster Screen on the Green, a program that presents films outdoors to the public for free in the institution's art garden.
The cultural enrichment initiative is also designed to draw more people downtown after peak hours, said Jenny Tate, the museum's director of marketing.
With its $2,500 award, Mississippi Main Street Association will strengthen its work in helping communities revitalize their downtown areas, said Bob Wilson, executive director.
"In this economy, Main Street is probably one of the hottest economic tools in the country," he said.
The grant will allow the organization to expand its efforts to attract more visitors, businesses and employers to Mississippi communities, Wilson said.
Photo: Clarion-Ledger President and Publisher Leslie Hurst (center, in purple) stands with representatives of several metro-area nonprofit organizations that received grants on Wednesday from the Gannett Foundation. / Joe Ellis/The Clarion-Ledger
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