Idaho Community Foundation grants $220k in eastern Idaho
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The Idaho Community Foundation has awarded more than $220,000 to nearly 60 schools, senior centers and other community organizations through its Forever Idaho East program, including more than $68,000 in Bonneville County.
Grantees stretch from Lemhi County to Bear Lake County. One of the unique aspects about Forever Idaho grants is that they are flexible and can be used for the recipients’ greatest needs.
“Time passes between when someone applies for a Forever Idaho grant and when they receive it. Their needs may change during that time,” said Lisa Bearg, ICF’s Senior Philanthropic Advisor. “We want our grants to be as responsive as we can make them.”
Joanna Trussel Berg, executive director of Unbridled Hope in Rigby, which provides equine-centered activities and therapies, said finding grants that meet the specific needs of their clients and program can be difficult. “This grant allows us to place the funds in the areas that are of the highest need and often not allowed by other grants.”
Club Inc., which assists homeless families and those at risk of homelessness, will use its grant toward operating costs. “The flexibility of the grant allows us to adjust to changing needs and give the best help possible,” said Kymm Swiston, Club Inc. accounting manager.
Dave Facer, executive director of the College of Eastern Idaho Foundation, said its grant will be used to improve students’ lives by helping them upgrade their education and skills, in addition to improving how the college’s services are delivered.
“We take our vision of changing families for generations very seriously,” he said.
This year’s Forever Idaho East grantees in Bonneville County are:
- Bonneville High School – $1,500
- Champ’s Heart, Inc. – $1,500
- CLUB, Inc. – $5,000
- College of Eastern Idaho Foundation – $5,000
- Idaho Diaper Bank, Inc. – $6,100
- Idaho Falls Arts Council, Inc. – $3,000
- Idaho Falls Family YMCA – $10,000
- Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen – $5,000
- Idaho Foodbank Warehouse – $14,000
- Museum of Idaho – $2,500
- Seventh Judicial District CASA Program – $5,000
- Shepherd’s Inn Corporation – $5,000
- Swan Valley School District #92 – $3,000
- Unbridled Hope, Inc. – $1,500
See all Forever Idaho East grantees HERE.
