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The Community Foundation of Lorain County invests approximately 5% of our assets annually back into our community through grants and scholarships. This represents only a portion of our target investment return so the foundation grows not only through new gifts and funds but also through market appreciation. This is how we are able to fulfill our promise of permanence to our donors. Turning our donor's charitable wishes into strategic grantmaking is clearly the primary and most visible reason for our existence and since its inception in 1980, annual grants and scholarships will soon exceed $4 million each year.
But the Community Foundation of Lorain County impacts our community is other ways that go beyond grantmaking. Our unique relationship with our donors, grantees and others in our community means that we have a "front row seat in the mezzanine - we can see not only what is happening on stage but also what is going on in the audience!" And because of our vantage point, we can better connect the interests of donors, grantees and the community.
In addition of being a knowledge repository, the Community Foundation of Lorain County is actively involved in many aspects of our community. The human capital on our staff, Board of Directors and volunteers is a rich resource working on maximizing community opportunities and solving community problems. The foundation is often represented in the conversations of consequence throughout our community.
Our vision of the future of Lorain County is bright and vibrant and we know that have to use every resource available to help lead our community toward that future. Below are just a few examples of how the Community Foundation is working to improve our community beyond grantmaking.
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Economic Development
Few would argue that successful economic development is a key to alleviating many of the ills we strive to impact with our grantmaking, but its difficult for a mid-sized community foundation to make much of a difference in this area. But what would happen if 100+ foundations and corporate giving programs pooled resources and brainpower to transform 16 diverse and fragmented counties into a globally competitive economic region? The Fund for Our Economic Future is just such an experiment and the Community Foundation of Lorain County has been an active partner since inception. Targeted resources led to the creation of a regional economic Dashboard, a handful of grants to promising nonprofit organization involved in economic transformation, and Voices & Choices civic engagement initiative. Now in a second three-year phase, the Fund has catalyzed Advance Northeast Ohio, a region economic agenda and is beginning to see indications that the synergy of our efforts and attention is making a big difference.
Locally, the Community Foundation is involved in the development of Team Lorain County, Lorain County's one-stop economic development engine. In addition to general support, the Community Foundation has led efforts to develop a solid governance structure for this unique private/public partnership.
Economic development is not a quick fix and we all know that measurement is in decades not in years or quarters. In addition to financial and human capital, it is the foundations' assets of patience and persistence that position us to help lead this effort at this time.
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Education
Education has always been an important focus of the Community Foundation of Lorain County. The foundation pioneered partnerships with local schools to create funds that now total more than $10 million in 90 endowments to benefit students in every public and several private school systems in Lorain County and most in Huron County. School endowment fund grants represented 9% of total distributions last year and scholarships another 9%. Additionally, 10% of all competitive grantmaking supported education. But the challenges facing our educational systems require more than just our grant dollars – it requires our time, expertise and influence.
The Community Foundation collaborated with 35 other Ohio foundations on the Educational Task Force of the Ohio Grantmakers Forum to research, author and disseminate Education for Ohio’s Future, a data-based assessment of public education in Ohio and recommendations for improvement. The Foundation is actively engaged locally on one of the recommendations with the Lorain County Community College, local educators and interested citizens to create a P-16 Council in an effort to promote a county-wide seamless progression from pre-school through college.
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Access to Affordable Health Care
Most recently, the Community Foundation co-convened a meeting of community leaders with the Nord Family, Stocker and Nordson foundations. The purpose of the meeting was to examine the increasing issues facing a growing number of people who are un and under-insured in our community.
We are unlikely to influence the larger issues at a State or National level, but we can, and arguably must, strive to deploy local resources in a strategic coordinated manner. Comments and themes from that meeting are being tabluated as well as next steps.
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