During 2003, the foundation underwent in-depth strategic planning to determine new guidelines for future grantmaking. For nearly a year, we conducted research on the following areas of interest:

• 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.

We established new funding initiatives to reflect our interest in these topics. We also determined that the process by which we awarded grants needed to be redefined. At the end of the year we announced the initiatives and invited a few organizations to respond through a request for proposal process.

During 2003, the foundation continued to award grants to organizations with which we had multi-year commitments. The grants awarded were:

• ACES – $1,632,887 for the 2003-04 school year. This program includes components for Lee and Westwood Elementary Schools in Springdale; Decatur Elementary in Decatur, AR; and Glenn Duffy Elementary in Gravette, AR. For additional information, click here.
• Community Clinic at St Francis House – $100,000 for medical and dental services for the uninsured in northwest Arkansas.
• The Jones Center for Families – $500,000 for general operating support.
• Northwest AR Community College, Adult Workforce Development – $55,808 for Skills Building for Hispanic Workers through the Building the Future Program.

In addition to these grants, approximately $108,000 was delegated to the Nonprofit Learning Series, which consists of training programs to enhance the abilities of local nonprofit organizations.