California

The Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley foundations have announced a three-year partnership aimed at expanding resources for nonprofit organizations in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos. SBF will award $100,000 a year for three years to SYVF, with half of that being used to implement the Santa Barbara Foundation Express Grant program in the valley and the other half supplementing SYVF's grantmaking.

The Koshland Committee of the San Francisco Foundation has announced the Jackson Triangle and Harder/Tennyson communities in Hayward as the recipient of its 2014 Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Award. The award program launches a five-year effort to empower and improve the quality of life for people living in the area.

Colorado

The Pikes Peak Community Foundation has announced that executive director Michael Hannigan, its leader for the past fifteen years, will retire at the end of the year.

Illinois

The Evanston Community Foundation has announced the launch of its Two Generation program, an effort to promote economic self-sufficiency among families in the Evanston community. Conducted over thirteen weeks, the program provides educational, financial, and career guidance for parents and quality education programs for their children up to age 6. The effort is supported in part by a $100,000 grant from the Aspen Institute and draws on research from Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research and the foundation's kindergarten-to-workforce readiness initiative, Every Child Ready for Kindergarten, Every Youth Ready for Work.

Massachusetts

The Boston Foundation has announced that, for the second year in a row, it is accepting proposals for Collaborate Boston, an incentive-driven competition designed to support collaborative efforts that create vibrant places in the city and help residents to thrive. In 2014, the foundation will award four grants of $25,000 each to resident-led collaborations aimed at strengthening the Fairmount Corridor neighborhoods of Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan and/or Roxbury. Complete eligibility criteria and application materials, along with lessons learned from the 2013 competition are available at collaborateboston.org. The deadline for entries is March 28.

New Mexico

The Santa Fe Community Foundation has begun to employ impact investing among its tools for strengthening local nonprofits, theSanta Fe New Mexican reports. This year, the foundation will invest some $2 million in local impact projects. In February, for example, it loaned $250,000 to Homewise, a local housing organization that will use the funds to increase the amount it gives to low- and middle-income families looking to make home improvements that save them money over time. "This is a big deal for us, it’s the first time a foundation in New Mexico has done it," said Mike Loftin, executive director of Homewise. "Our big challenge is raising capital to meet the needs. We've raised a lot of money from banks and banks have been good, but this gives another way for philanthropic people to invest in these programs and invest for a return."

New York

The Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities has announced that Patricia Jenny, vice president of grants for the New York Community Trust, as the recipient of the 2014 Nicholas P. Bollman Award. Established in 2008 in honor of the late Nicholas Bollman, the award recognizes leaders who share Bollman's commitment to improving conditions for future generations, without expectation of reward. Jenny co-chaired the Neighborhood Funders Group with Bollman when it was an all-volunteer organization.

Ohio

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation has announced that it is accepting applications for its two Grants for Kids programs. The programs, Learning Links and Summertime Kids, benefit thousands of children each year through grants of up to $1,000 to schools and nonprofit organizations. The application for Learning Links grants must be postmarked by April 30, while applications for Summertime Kids grants must be postmarked by March 28.

The Columbus Foundation has announced that its Allen Eiry Fund awarded eleven grants totaling $182,505 to organizations serving senior citizens in Seneca County. Recipients include the Allen Eiry Senior Center, Daybreak of Fostoria, the Good Shepherd Home, and Seneca County Agency Transportation.