MHCF has handed out $440K in grants the past 10 years
Published in the November 13, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Amy Whelan
Amy Whelan
The Morgan Hill Community Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit organization deeply rooted in our community – but I’d bet our name and logo are unfamiliar to many of you.
That’s because our team works behind the scenes connecting generous donors with local needs to make a long-lasting impact on the day-to-day lives of our residents. Our record of about $440,000 in local grants over the past 10-plus years speaks for itself and is something of which we are very proud.
To that end, we focus on a variety of philanthropic activities throughout the year. For example, starting in February of each year, local organizations are invited to apply for grants totaling $5,000 that are awarded at an invitation-only ceremony held in May. For a firsthand look at this year’s grant recipients, visit www.morganhillcf.org.
We also support more than a dozen community partners who operate under our nonprofit tax and insurance umbrella to fulfill each of their unique charters. A recent case in point is the Friends of the Morgan Hill Senior Center, which granted $20,000 to the Centennial Recreation Senior Center to fund a full-time case manager hired to improve the seniors’ quality of life and independence by helping them find and manage needed services.
Other MHCF partners and projects include: Art a la Carte, which is a free children’s art fair every April; Project Roadmap, which sponsors an annual conference in October and provides guidance, resources and support services to first-generation college students and their families; and, the South Valley Wine Auction, a premiere food and wine event held in April to benefit Morgan Hill Unified School District athletic programs.
In honor of National Philanthropy Month each November, MHCF hosts an event that brings together nonprofits, philanthropists, donors and volunteers from about two dozen organizations to celebrate individuals who exemplify our “give where you live” philosophy in service of the greater Morgan Hill community. This year’s “Night of the Stars” event is a red carpet, paparazzi-styled affair with entertainment by acoustic jazz band “Nineteen” being held this Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.
MHCF is also a member of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a renowned institution with a 50-year track record in philanthropy and assets of more than $3 billion. With a reputation for solving our region’s most challenging problems, SVCF gives more money to charities than any other community foundation in the United States.
As a member of SVCF, we benefit from ongoing counsel, guidance and a wealth of resources to ensure that MHCF operates in keeping with the highest standards of excellence and best practices for community foundations. We consistently strive to maximize philanthropic results for donors and recipients. In accordance with SVCF guidelines and tax regulations, each philanthropic organization under the auspices of MHCF is designated as, or will be transitioned soon, to a “named fund” from which charitable contributions and disbursements are managed through the foundation.
Amy Whelan is the vice president of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation. For information about the MHCF, visit www.morganhillcf.org.
