Press Release

Springdale, AR
November 20, 2002

Contact: Suzanne Ward - 501.927.0970
Emerson Goodwin - 501.927.0970

Springdale, AR — Today, the board of directors of CommunityCare Foundation announced grants for the last half of 2002. Eight new grants were funded, which, when added to existing commitments to the "All Children Excel In School" (ACES) program and the Nonprofit Learning Series (NLS), total $1,224,673. Grants funded this week include:

• Bentonville School District: Integrating Technology-Spring Hill Middle School, $38,246 to purchase computers and other equipment to fully integrate student use of technology in the science and social studies curriculum.
  


• Bentonville School District: Project KIDZ Health, $31,000 to purchase equipment to upgrade medical services for district students.
  


• Community Development Corporation of Bentonville/Bella Vista, Senior Resource Center, $125,000 to assist in renovation of the Resource Center building in Bella Vista.
  


• Northwest Arkansas for Nurses, $40,000 for scholarships at the five area schools of nursing.
  


• Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County, $35,000 for scholarships and the counseling program.
  


• Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Washington County, $35,000 for scholarships.
  


• United Way of Washington County, $50,000 for a human services needs assessment in Benton and Washington counties.
  


• Washington County, $50,352 for the Hometown Health Improvement Project Four-County Community Needs Assessment.
  

These grants bring the total contributions from CommunityCare Foundation to $3,675,448 for 2002. Grants amounting to $4,596,727 were made in 2000 and $5,000,000 in 2001, bringing the total to $13,223,638 during the three years in which the foundation has been making grants in northwest Arkansas.

According to board chair Walter Turnbow, "During the past few months, the board of directors has been developing a strategic plan for the future of the foundation. We have reexamined our funding guidelines and have begun to redefine the process by which we will develop grants in the future. While these new guidelines will not go into effect until 2004, the board chose to make current funding decisions based on the new directions that have been established. As a result of these deliberations, and the poor economic performance of foundation investments, fewer grants were funded in this cycle than in past cycles."

The foundation's new areas of emphasis will be:

• Mental and Physical Health – to ensure that everyone has access to excellent quality health care and the knowledge to maintain their personal health.
  


• Education – to build a nationally competitive school system and eliminate remediation at the college level for high school graduates.
  


• Immigration – to create a diverse and thriving community where everyone can participate in our economic and social success.
  


• Nonprofit Capacity Building – to develop a strong infrastructure of nonprofit organizations to serve the needs of northwest Arkansas.

Turnbow added, "During 2003, the board and staff will conduct research to set specific measurable goals within each of these areas. For example, a specific measurable goal under education might be to increase the high school graduation rate to 90% in Benton and Washington counties."

New guidelines will be published when these goals are established, probably late in 2003. In the meantime, the foundation will not conduct any grant application cycles during 2003. Contributions to existing programs, such as ACES and NLS, will total approximately $2.6 million in 2003.

The ACES and NLS programs will continue with programs that were previously approved. ACES includes projects at Lee and Westwood Elementary Schools in Springdale, Decatur Elementary School, and Gravette Elementary School. NLS includes the Fast Forward Series of management classes for nonprofit organizations, the bi-monthly Executive Exchange luncheons for nonprofit managers, the All Aboard workshop for nonprofit board members, and the Empowerment Zone, a comprehensive strategic planning program for selected nonprofit agencies.

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