The Pine Bluff Area Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Arkansas Community Foundation, has announced $59,004 in Arkansas Community Foundation Giving Tree Grants and $23,650 in JRMC Community Health Grants for nonprofits in the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County areas.
“As the needs of our state increase, unrestricted funding sources become fewer,” said Heather Larkin Eason, president and CEO of ARCF. “To help meet some of these needs, the Arkansas Community Foundation established Giving Tree Endowments to make discretionary grants that capitalize on opportunities as well as respond quickly to pressing needs arising throughout the state.”
Individual announcements will soon be made on the agencies, their mission and the grants received, a spokesman said.
Any IRS 501(c)(3) public charity, public school, government or hospital in Pine Bluff/Jefferson County area was eligible to apply for the grants, but grants were not made to individuals. The next grant cycle will be in the spring for the JRMC Community Health grants and in the fall again for the Giving Tree Grants.
“The Pine Bluff Community Foundation is given a great opportunity to work with so many organizations in our area because of funding by the endowments set up through individuals and organizations in our community,” said Kelli Kennedy, executive director of PBACF. “We get to help make change happen for so many people, which is such a wonderful and rare opportunity. We also get to see goals and dreams realized by not only the organizations and groups that we grant to, but also to the donors and their families who established endowments with us. Not many people get to say that or be a part of something like this that affects so many and in so many ways.”