Community foundation looking for projects to help fund

The Hill County Community Foundation is seeking applications for the 2019 grant cycle.

Foundation Chair Pam Veis said the grant application deadline for Hill County non-profits will be Thursday, Oct. 30, and the grant awards will be presented during a ceremony in December.

“Hill County non-profits can apply to fund projects in our focus areas of arts and culture, community beautification and basic human needs,” Veis said.

The Hill County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Montana Community Foundation whose mission is to cultivate a culture of giving to empower Montana communities to flourish.  

“As a community foundation, HCCF strives to serve as a sustainable resource for Hill County and its residents through the power of permanently endowed funds,” Veis said. “Our mission statement is empowering Hill County citizens to invest in our communities by providing stable and permanent resources for giving.”    

Veis said the foundation is able to provide valuable dollars for projects that would otherwise go unfunded. The annual interest from the HCCF endowment fund, along with accepted donations, helps to make this possible, she added.

Its goals include increasing public awareness and knowledge of the Hill County Community Foundation, collaborating with other organizations in Hill County and growing its endowment, keeping wealth in this area of Montana.  

“Our endowment balance is currently $69,612 and we have made a goal to increase endowment size to $125,000 within a five-year period,” she said.

She added that the residents of Hill County need to know that this endowment is there for them and all of them who live, work and play here. Since it’s a permanent endowment, a donation to the Hill County Community Foundation not only impacts the community this year, but for decades to come, she said.  

Veis said she currently serves as chair for the foundation’s volunteer board, which is composed of nine members: Faye James, Karen Swenson, Marie Gillett, Jim Bennett, Annette Swinney, Pamela Long, Ashly Graham and Shawn Holden.

She and the volunteer board  can help people connect with Montana Community Foundation experts who can help them access the Montana Endowment Tax Credit while investing in their community, Veis added.

The Hill County Community Foundation was first established in 1995 with a challenge grant from Anheuser-Busch to Montana distributors.

  “The first grant from the HCCF endowment was awarded in 2005,” she said. “Since that time, a total of $24,500 has been awarded to fund projects in Hill County which enhance arts and culture, community beautification and basic human needs. $10,763 of that $24,500 total has been granted out in the past three years.”

She added that, this year, HCCF will award a total of $4,500 in grants to Hill County nonprofits.

For more information, people can visit the foundation’s website at http://www.HillCountyCommunityFoun-dation.org or find them on Facebook.

The foundation will also have their third annual Spring for the Arts Gala in spring 2020.