California

The Orange County Community Foundation in Newport Beach has announced Monica Seely as its senior director of marketing and communications, Sharon Johnson as director of people and culture, and Elizabeth McKibbin as director of gift planning. Seely has worked for nearly twenty years in the marketing field, most recently as marketing manager for Taylor Design. Johnson has more than twenty years of experience in the human resources field, most recently at California State University Fullerton, where she was director of the department. And McKibbin recently served on the fundraising team at the Orange County School of the Arts.

Colorado

The Community Foundation Boulder County has announced grants totaling nearly $10,000 in support of Boulder County RSVP, the Qualified Listeners Corp, and Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement. The grants were awarded through the foundation’s Veterans Fund, which provides outreach to isolated veterans, creates space where veterans can gather, facilitates connections between older and younger veterans, and identifies best practices for services for veterans.

Louisiana

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has announced that Seattle-based writer Nathan Harris has won its 2021 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for his debut novel, The Sweetness of Water. The $15,000 award is given in honor of the late Ernest Gaines, whose stories gave voice to African Americans living in rural areas.

Michigan

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation has named Shannon Polk as its president and CEO, effective January 10, 2022. A longtime nonprofit official, she most recently led the Witness Foundation and consulted with the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area.

Nebraska

The Omaha Community Foundation has announced that the Fund for Omaha, its largest grant program, has awarded $525,000 to twenty-three nonprofits. In 2020, the foundation shifted the fund’s focus to explicitly support nonprofit organizations promoting racial equity and social justice, particularly for those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. This year’s recipients include the ACLU of Nebraska, Centro Latino of Iowa, the Great Plains Black History Museum, and the Immigrant Legal Center.

North Carolina

The North Carolina Community Foundation has announced grants totaling $856,000 in support of news and community organizations through its NC Local News Lab Fund. This year, Dogwood Health Trust and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation joined existing funding partners to make the fund’s largest investment to date in ensuring communities in the state have the news and information they need. Recipients include Asheville Writers in the Schools and Community, Carolina Public Press, Enlace Latino NC, and Support the Poor.

The Union County Community Foundation, an affiliate of Foundation for the Carolinas, has awarded $85,988 in grants in support of seventeen local projects addressing a wide range of community needs across the county. Recipients include the Autism Society of North Carolina, Turning Point, the Union County Community Arts Council, and Community Health Services of Union County.

Ohio

The Dayton Foundation has announced that a thirty-minute television special about the foundation will air on WHIO-TV on December 2 at 7:30 p.m. “Becoming Dayton’s Community Foundation” will explore the roots of the foundation, chronicling its start with an initial donation from the Patterson family in 1921 to the present day.

Oregon

The Oregon Community Foundation has announced an inaugural round of $580,000 in funding in support of “thriving entrepreneurs” across the state. Grants to twenty-eight nonprofits will provide coaching, mentoring, technical support, and training to entrepreneurs who aim to grow companies and contribute to Oregon’s economic vitality. The grants will prioritize organizations and programs serving people of color, women, and rural entrepreneurs. Recipients include Centro Latino Americano, the Portland State University Center for Entrepreneurship, and the PBDG Foundation.

Texas

The North Texas Community Foundation in Fort Worth has announced grants totaling more than $207,000. A total of $116,000 was awarded through the Anita Berry Martin Memorial Foundation to fourteen groups working in the areas of land conservation, equine therapy, and equine welfare, including the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and Wings of Hope. Through the Helen D. and R.E. Wallace Foundation, NTCF awarded grants totaling more than $91,000 in support of seventeen animal welfare programs, including Allies Haven Animal Rescue and the Panther City Feral Cat Coalition.