It’s Spring—And Building Season

Several proposals in this spring grant catalog focus on designing and building new facilities. These are important for tourism, which is one of our main income sectors. We have 1.3 million visitors per year—and they all use bathrooms, have trash, need directions, parking, and other amenities.  

See the Spring 2019 Grant Catalog at https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/grant 

Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge asks for support for a new bay and wildlife viewing platform in the South Bay Unit. Design and planning funding is needed to get started on building a new viewing platform that is ADA accessible and has educational signage for visitors. 

Willapa Bay is a critically important hemispheric reserve for birds, and feeds millions of migrating birds each year in spring and fall. Thousands of birders visit annually to watch birds. There are very few public spots to view the bay that are not along Highways 101 or 105 and pullouts are limited. 

The South Bay Unit is accessed from 95th Street east of Sandridge Road. There is a trail over and around the hill to a viewpoint next to Tarlatt Slough, where it turns north to Willapa Bay. The view is spectacular, more than thirty miles up the bay to Tokeland, with the Olympic Mountains on the north horizon. 

Website: https://friendsofwillaparefuge.org/ 

City of Long Beach asks for support for its Dune Boardwalk.
The present boardwalk is more than 20 years old, and needs more than decking replacement--some of the supports need to be replaced as well. This is a big project, so in this grant catalog, the city is asking for support to provide unrestricted capital matches for grants from our state and federal governments.



Help Long Beach put a good foot forward by donating to this project. One of the greatest features of the board walk is that it is universally accessible--this means all ages, and all physical capacities can use it. 

Website: http://www.longbeachwa.gov/ 

All grants are posted at https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/grant. You can make donations there for each grant/organization you want to support.  

Not happy using online services? Send a check instead. Write a note on the memo line of the check for the grant it is to go to, or if to more than one grant, include a note to tell us how much goes to each one. 

Make the check out to SPCCF. Mail to ‘SPCCF, PO Box 91, Nahcotta WA 98637.’ 

Your community and its many active nonprofit organizations thank you!

It’s Spring—and the Community Grants Catalog is Open

I love reading grant requests in the Community Grants Catalog each Spring. It reminds me every time how much our local nonprofit organizations do to help people of all ages, animals, and environmental issues in our community. This year is no exception. The real work to make this community livable and dynamic happens with these organizations. Financial support from all of us is key to their continued success. 
See the full catalog at https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/grant.

Where would we be without South Pacific County Humane Society? And what would our community be like without their no-kill policy? Humane treatment of animals is as important as humane treatment of humans. This organization urgently needs to install their commercial washer and dryer. I can’t tell you how many household units they’ve gone through over the years, but it’s a lot, and their grant request this year helps fill the final gap between units (already purchased) and installation, which needs some concrete and framing work, as well as electrical, to complete. Website: http://beachpets.com/

Pacific County Immigrant Support helps those who are being treated like criminals or worse. The vast majority of Americans are descended from immigrants. In my own family, one side immigrated here a couple of centuries ago; the other, only two generations back. Please open your hearts, and checkbooks, and help counter the appalling abuse of this vulnerable, and yes, American population—we are a nation of immigrants, after all. Website: https://www.pcisupport.org/ 

Pack2School is one of several programs that help children in our community. Every fall, this group puts together hundreds of backpacks with school supplies for the coming year, grade by grade, to help families who are struggling financially. Over 400 school-age children get backpacks of supplies each year.  Healthy, well-educated children are our greatest local product. 
Website: https://www.pack2school.org/

All the grants are at https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/grant. Make donations on this webpage for each grant you wish to support.  

Not happy using online services? Send a check instead. Write a note on the memo line of the check for the grant it is to go to, or if to more than one grant, include a note to tell us how much goes to each one. 

Make the check out to SPCCF. Mail to ‘SPCCF, PO Box 91, Nahcotta WA 98637.’ 

Your community and its many active nonprofit organizations thank you!

Winter: Applying For College Scholarships

Kathleen Sayce,

January 18, 2019

Below is the current list of scholarships that are offered by the Foundation. All scholarships are paid directly to the school or training program the student attends. 

Standard supporting information is required in the submission packet, including transcripts, work and life goals essays, letters of recommendation, statement of financial capacity, and a resume. A cover letter must state which scholarship you are applying for. A separate, complete packet and cover letter is required for each scholarship as the selection committee for each one is different. 

Most scholarships are for graduating seniors of Pacific County high schools. Students at Naselle High School who live in west Wahkiakum County are eligible for all scholarships applicable to Naselle HS.

The application period opens now, and closes March 31st. Decisions will be announced at gradation or an awards ceremony (whichever is the process for each high school). 

The last scholarship is for medical-studies students who graduated from Pacific or Clatsop County, and are finishing their first year in college this spring. This one has an open period from April 1st to May 31st; the decision is announced in late June for the following fall term. 

College Scholarships:

Some are in two groups, one for north county [Raymond, South Bend, Willapa Valley] 

and one for south county [Ilwaco, Naselle]. 

1. Silent Key Scholarship-STEM majors* only, north and south groups, with two awards per year, one in each group. This scholarship does not include medical studies. 

This scholarship is paid after the first term of college, with a transcript to confirm attendance. $500 per award

2. Sid Snyder Scholarship—Any major, north and south groups, with two awards per year, one in each group. 

This scholarship is paid in the first term. $500 per award

This scholarship has a special application form and requires an essay on democratic values. Contact the Foundation for a copy of this form.

The Wilson STEM Scholarship is offered to graduates of South Bend and Raymond: 

3. Wilson Scholarship for South Bend HS

4. Wilson Scholarship for Raymond HS

Both are for STEM majors* only; one award to a student at each school. 

This scholarship does not include medical studies, and is paid at the start of the first term. $5,000 per award

5. Schwartz Medical Scholarship is for medical students from any high school in Pacific County, WA and Clatsop Co, OR, for their second year of studies. This one is open for renewal every year after the first award is made, for a total of 3 years. Application is made at the end of the first year of college. 

This scholarship is for medical studies only, it is renewable; it is open to students in college who graduated from high school in Pacific or Clatsop county, after their first year in college. 

Studies may be pre-med, nursing or medical technology. $750 first award, $1,000 for each subsequent award. 

This scholarship requires a statement of prior work and interest in a medical profession, and a statement of commitment to medical area studies in addition to a college transcript, letters of recommendation and statement of financial capacity. 

No non-medical majors will be considered. 

*****

* STEM majors include:  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. If you have any question about your planned area of study and its consideration as an STEM field, contact the Foundation.

Applicable Science majors are in natural and life sciences, including Environmental Studies, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Genetics, Forestry, Geology, Physics, Zoology, etc. Medical studies and social sciences are excluded. 

Technology majors include Materials Science, Architecture, Computer Science;  programming, or gaming majors are excluded. 

Engineering majors include all major areas of this field.  

Mathematics majors include all major areas of this field.  

*****

For more information about any of these scholarships, please contact: 

South Pacific County Community Foundation— Scholarships

PO Box 75

Nahcotta WA 98637

360-665-5292

info@spccf.org 

Current Edition of Giving Back Arrives

Have you recycled your newspapers since Christmas? If not, go look for the handy guide to local nonprofit organizations, printed by the Chinook Observer each year. 

It doesn't look like a real estate ad this year:

Inside, you will find information about many local nonprofits, including a list in the back, and featured pages for several organizations in the main section. 
I'm happy to say the Foundation is one of the featured organizations. 

Note that ads support many pages. Please support those local businesses in return!

If you have already recycled your paper, the newspaper has a few copies available in their office in Long Beach. 

Building a community of enthusiastic philanthropists is key to our mission and key to the success of this annual insert. 

Grants Catalog Raises $3K for local organizations

June 12, 2018

South Pacific County Community Foundation hosted a spring Community Grants Catalog for the month of May. This grant catalog raised more than three thousand dollars for seven community grant proposals. 

These included two proposals from Peninsula Poverty Response, Food 4 Kids programs in Ocean Park and Long Beach/Ilwaco schools, Pack to School, Grass Roots Garbage Gang, and Timberland Regional Library’s summer reading program. 

Larry Shaver and Kat Shaver of OP Food 4 Kids accept a check from Todd Wiegardt, foundation president. 

The foundation will host a grants catalog again next spring, and asks that interested organizations contact the foundation ahead of time about details. Each participating organization submits a proposal to the catalog, and helps spread the word about its proposal to the community while this catalog is open, which was during May this year.  

Donations for the catalog can be made online or by mail when it is open. 

To learn more, write SPCCF at PO Box 75, Nahcotta WA 98637, email at info@spccf.org, or call 360-665-5292. 

The foundation also maintains  named funds for several organizations, which accept donations at any time during the year. These are online at spccf.org, ‘Give Now’ button, Funds tab.

Spring 2018 Grants Catalog at SPCCF

Our first Grants Catalog is open for donations. There are seven grant proposals from local and regional nonprofits. Please take the time to go look at these proposals—each one is helping meet a specific need in our community. 

This is the direct link to the Grants Catalog:  https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/grant

Timberland Regional Library's summer reading program last year gave a book to each child who finished, for many children, this was the first book of their own.

Q:  How do local nonprofits get their proposals included?

A:  SPCCF sends out a notice that we are accepting proposals, which those organizations fill out on line, or we complete for them. This time, we completed the requests for them. Then the foundation board reviews all the proposals and decides which ones to include.

Q:  What are the costs to each participating nonprofit?

A:  Nothing. SPCCF decided to match all expenses (credit card fees, about 2.4%) and waive our management fee (1%) for this catalog. Typical crowdfunding online costs over 10%. For this local grants catalog, a dollar donated is a dollar that will go to the participating nonprofit. 

Q:  How long will this catalog be open?

A:  It started on April 25th and will close on May 31st. 

Q:  When will nonprofits get their grants?

A:  Soon after the catalog closes, within two weeks, by mid June. 

Q:  How do I get my organization’s proposal in the next Grants Catalog?

A:  Contact SPCCF, tell us what you would like to propose, and we will help set you up for the next one. We look for proposals for specific projects within each organization, plus cost for that project.

[See your organization's logo here, next year!]

Q:  Who participated this time?

A:  These are the current participants:

Back to School Program, sponsored by Peninsula Baptist Church

Community Beach Cleanup, AKA Grassroots Garbage Gang

Food 4 Kids Programs, sponsored by Long Beach Elks and Ocean Park United Methodist Church

Peninsula Poverty Response

Timberland Regional Library

Q:  This is an online donation program, so what is the minimum donation?

A:  Five dollars ($5) is the minimum. For $35, you can donate $5 to each proposal! Give it a try: 

 https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/grant

Last day to donate is May 31st, 2018. 

The South Pacific County Community Foundation: A Growing Philosophy of Philanthropy

Stephanie Fritts, Board Member

January 18, 2018

Joining the SPCCF Board in mid-2017 has been both a challenge and a pleasure.  I vowed after retirement at the end of December 2016, to commit to nothing for one year.  So much for that vow…. but that said, I could not pass up the opportunity to work toward improving life in South Pacific County.  It wasn’t simple to get myself “up-to-speed” on the workings and plans of the SPCCF, but after several meetings, and a board retreat, I think I’m there.  And what I’ve found is that the initial attraction that lured me to the organization is indeed the central focus of its work:  a philosophy of philanthropy.  

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse on a stormy day
in January, 2018. Lighthouses are symbols
of leadership, helping us to find our way in perilous
conditions. 

Yes - there are a lot of “charitable” organizations in south Pacific County.  But there is a difference between charity and philanthropy.  Most often, we are able only to relieve the symptoms (pain) of our local social problems, and that is what most charitable organizations work does.  Philanthropy, however, attempts to solve the roots causes of those social problems.  That is the mission of the South Pacific County Community Foundation:  “Demonstrate innovative leadership in philanthropy and foster a dynamic community.”   That mission is the driving factor behind SPCCF and also what led me to break that early vow and commit to a three year term on the board.  

It is my intent (and that of the board) that the dollars invested in the SPCCF will improve lives, inspire change, challenge ideas, and open minds.  I am but one of many, however I truly believe the entire board is committed in the same fashion.  

I recently read that the tradition of the ancient Greeks was that philanthropy was inseparable from moral philosophy:   Good works and giving what we can for the good of others is pretty much the whole point of being human.  I would say that I believe this to be true.  

Bottom line, it’s all about being a kinder human - speaking in a positive fashion, eliminating contempt, distrain, and disrespect from our words, attitude and outlook.  We can replace that with a philosophy of philanthropy - in our words, in our deeds, and in the bottom line, with our money.  Help SPCCF find the root causes of the problems in south Pacific County, and assist with the solutions.  

All of this leads to a consideration - there are currently a couple of open positions on the board.  Board members are expected to participate at both the meeting and the “behind the scenes” levels (I’m writing this essay on my own time….), to support the mission of the organization, and to give (as in a donation).  Are you interested in serving and joining in a philosophy of philanthropy?  Interested persons are welcome to contact a board member to ascertain if all positions are full, and to potentially accompany them to a couple of board meetings.  

Give it some serious consideration - simply a donation, or more, through both service and a donation.  You can also adopt the philosophy of philanthropy and make our community the best place it can be.