SD Community Foundation announces Grant Recipients
PIERRE– Round 2 of the South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) 2019 Community Innovation Grant (CIG) program has been completed. Fourteen South Dakota nonprofits will receive grant awards. Offered in partnership with the Bush Foundation, the Community Innovation Grant program supports efforts to find breakthrough solutions to community challenges across the state.
“The South Dakota Community Foundation received twenty-nine applications in Round 2 and selected these fourteen nonprofits to implement inclusive, collaborative and resourceful solutions that will benefit all our state’s citizens,” says Ginger Niemann, SDCF Senior Program Officer. “Round 2 resulted in over $138,000 being distributed between the selected grantees. We are grateful to the Bush Foundation for their past and continued investment in our state.”
The review committee chose to financially support the following projects:
Western South Dakota
Black Hills Community Economic Development (Rapid City): $10,000
The Rushmore Region Alliance (RRA) is an economic development initiative that was created by the Black Hills Community Economic Development to stimulate business investment in the region. Working in collaboration with economic development professionals from six counties (Butte, Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington) regular meetings will be organized to determine specific areas of training and development needed for each locale. Meetings will be conducted both locally and regionally and may involve surveys for those unable to attend and voice their opinions.
Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation (Crazy Horse): $8,750
The Indian University of North America, part of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, is working to provide support for Native American students both college-bound and in college. They will institute a two-day college fair for Native American high school juniors from both Indian and public schools located in western South Dakota. The fair will have a continuing component. They will begin working with College Fair students throughout their Senior year, assisting them with college prep. In addition, an academic success coaching online portal will make it easy for peers to provide support for each other throughout their post-secondary years.
Oglala Lakota Children’s Justice Center (Pine Ridge): $10,000
Oglala Lakota Children’s Justice Center (OLCJC) seeks to address the needs of Children and Youth by using a community level process to engage community members. In a recent readiness and evaluability assessment conducted by OLCJC a myriad of issues became apparent, including identifying the lack of or non-existent resources for children who suffer from maltreatment, abuse and neglect and have a history of adverse childhood experiences. They will conduct community conversations in seven communities on the Pine Ridge Reservation over an eight-month period. These initial seven community conversations will be detailed in reports, evaluations and timelines, mapping and data summation all concluded by the end of April 2020.
Passages Women’s Transitional Living (Rapid City): $10,000
Passages Women’s Transitional Living provides transitional housing and support for women returning from prison to the Black Hills area. Based on program data and research-based insights, three key elements surfaced as contributors to a successful reentry process. Those three elements include having a stable, safe and reliable pace to live, engaging in a structured program and committing to staying involved in the program for at least 6 months. This project will increase the percentage of women served by Passages who reach or exceed a threshold of at least six months by strengthening case management support.
Shared by: Native Sun News Today
September 12, 2019