Arizona

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona in Tucson has announced the selection of Maggie Reneé as the 2023 Igor Gorin Memorial Award recipient. Established in 1987 by Mary Gorin in honor of her husband, Igor Gorin, a world-renowned opera singer, the prize has awarded $358,000 to young vocalists at the start of their operatic careers. Reneé, a mezzo-soprano from Los Angeles, is a Metropolitan Opera competition grand finalist award winner, Opera Index award winner, Sullivan Foundation finalist, and an honors bachelor of music and master of music graduate of the Juilliard School, where she is pursuing her artist diploma in opera studies.

California

The Orange County Community Foundation, in partnership with Sona Shah, founder and CEO of My Private Professor, has announced the inaugural recipients of the Inspired Teacher Grant Program. Orange County K-12 charter and public school teachers providing classroom project-based learning will receive a total of $100,000 in grants in support of 30 initiatives across 25 schools for classroom projects and field trips that encourage experiential learning, enhance student understanding, and increase student achievement in relation to the California curriculum standards.

The Sacramento Region Community Foundation has announced the addition of Kelly Siefkin as chief philanthropy officer. Most recently, Siefkin served as director of development for California State University, Sacramento, focusing on support for the College of Continuing Education and Alumni Association, where she raised funds to foster success for non-traditional learners. She also has served as vice president of communications and marketing at Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

Indiana

The Central Indiana Community Foundation has announced that its Indianapolis Foundation affiliate received a $250,000 grant in the second round of funding from the Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative. The grant will support organizations participating in the nonprofit infrastructure development portion of the foundation’s Neighborhood Empowerment Pathways program. In addition, it will enable the expansion of the infrastructure development programming to include mini-grants and an increase in consulting support. Currently, the program provides a series of technical assistance, professional development trainings, and relationship-building opportunities to fortify what is typically described as “capacity building.” This award will also focus on the sustainability of grassroots organizations by enabling the Indianapolis Foundation to assess needs and direct grants to program participants for infrastructure projects, tools, and resources on an ongoing basis.

Kansas

The Hutchinson Community Foundation has announced that its Youth Philanthropy Council awarded $5,000 in grants to seven organizations. Led by students from across Reno County, the council is a grantmaking program designed to involve area students in philanthropy. The grants were awarded from the Richard W. Dillon Memorial Fund.

Ohio

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, in partnership with the City of Cincinnati, bi3, and Interact for Health, has awarded $610,000 in grants to 31 nonprofits, 71 percent Black-led. Awarded through the foundation’s Boots on the Ground Fund, grants of up to $25,000 each will support and strengthen the capacity of small, community-based organizations to drive equitable change in the community. Historically, these resources have been inaccessible for small, grassroots organizations, especially those led by people of color.

The Akron Community Foundation has announced grants totaling $3.8 million in quarterly grants and approved nearly $700,000 in competitive education grants chosen by the foundation’s Community Investment Committee. Quarterly grant recipients include Akron Children’s Museum, Dreams Academy, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and Urban Vision. More than $15,000 in education funding was contributed by the Charles E. and Mary K. Booth Fund, Eleanor and Roger Lindway Family Fund, and an anonymous fundholder through the foundation’s grant co-investment program, which enables donor-advised fundholders to review the board’s competitive grant applications and support initiatives that align with their charitable interests.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Foundation has announced that it awarded nearly $84 million in grants to approximately 2,400 nonprofit organizations in 2022 and raised more than $75 million in gifts. At the end of 2022, total assets stood at approximately $1.3 billion. Many of the grants aligned with the foundation’s three strategic priorities: educational success, healthy lives, and economic security. About two-thirds of the grants were donor directed; the balance was at the discretion of the foundation.

Texas

The Kendra Scott jewelry company has announced the launch of the Kendra Scott Foundation as a component of the Austin Community Foundation. Since the company was founded in 2010, it has awarded more than $50 million in support of local, national, and international causes. The foundation will support the programs that were launched by the company.