Bijou Community School would like to thank the generosity and kindness of the El Dorado Community Foundation. Once again, the El Dorado Community Foundation has donated funds for essential programs like our library, the Two-way Immersion Program and the Parent Teacher Association.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice awards more than $2 million to local nonprofit organizations

Looking to encourage growth and education while highlighting the positive aspects of its community, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice has awarded more than $2 million in grants to 25 local nonprofit organizations.

The organizations, which work in various different fields throughout the community including arts and culture, education, and environmental services, were each given a portion of $2.1 million in grants, the largest total amount of funding ever awarded by the Foundation in a single grant cycle.

Bainbridge Schools Foundation was among this year’s biggest winners of grants from the Bainbridge Community Foundation and its partners.

It won $8,000, and will use the money to fund salaries of remedial-reading teachers in Bainbridge Island public schools, according to a statement from the Bainbridge Community Foundation.

That grant was among 24 Bainbridge Community Foundation grants totaling $91,700 given to nonprofit groups that provide essential services.

Twelve grants totaling $103,725 have been awarded to local nonprofit agencies and groups for such projects as government reorganization, arts scholarships and the Special Olympics.

The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County recently announced the awards for its third competitive grant cycle of 2009.

Grants are awarded in five areas of interest: arts and culture, human services, economic development, education and community betterment.

The Arkansas Community Foundation (ARCF) is happy to partner with DonorsChoose.org to implement the 2009 SIMS (Science Initiative for Middle Schools) program in Arkansas!

Funding for this mini-grant program is made possible by an endowed gift to ARCF from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation announced that 29 scholarships totaling $25,000 were given to 23 students from Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan and Hampshire counties. Recipients attended a recent reception, joined by many of the donors who have created the many scholarship funds held in the foundation. The reception was underwritten by Bowles Rice, Centra Bank, First United Bank & Trust, BCT, CNB Bank Inc. and BB&T Wealth Management.

Many of the scholarship funds created within the Community Foundation have poignant and special stories behind them.

In recent years, however, the importance of making sure that all children get the best start they can has moved up on the public's agenda. We as a society have seen the positive impact that high-quality child care, prekindergarten education and family support — such as parenting classes — can have on children, families and communities.

To ensure that the children and their families in south-central Kansas succeed, more than 60 organizations from 13 cities have worked together as part of the Visioneering Wichita Birth to Kindergarten Strategic Alliance. We have built a strong coalition that already has successfully attracted public and private dollars to the effort.

This year — a year marked by contentious budget battles in Topeka — we were able to secure more than $1.1 million in state funding, which was matched by more than the required 10 percent in funds from a network of foundations, including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, K.T. Wiedemann Foundation, Wichita Community Foundation, Wellington Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Butler County, and Greater Newton Community Foundation.

The Baltimore Community Foundation has awarded $245,000 in grants to 21 local nonprofits focused on educational programs.

Providing our youth with excellent educational choices and after-school enrichment options is essential to building the next generation of productive workers, homeowners, citizens, and taxpayers, Baltimore Community Foundation CEO Tom Wilcox said in a statement.

The Bridgeport Public Education Fund has received a $25,000 grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation for its college bound program, Mentoring for Academic Achievement and College Success (MAACS).

The mentoring program pairs college students from Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University and the University of Bridgeport with students from the three Bridgeport public high schools.

I would like to thank the Buck Foundation for the many years of support it has shown to our community and schools.

I had the privilege of being the recipient of these funds indirectly several times throughout my career in Vacaville. Most recently, my fifth-graders at Callison Elementary School were dazzled by the presentation from Ancient Artifacts on the Revolutionary War. This was made possible through a grant from the Solano Community Foundation, which received much of its support from the Buck Foundation.

As an educator and community member, I truly appreciate all the Buck Foundation has given. It has left quite a legacy.