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January 24, 2023 By Michael Whalton

EWVCF Accepting Scholarship Applications

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) is accepting scholarship applications now through March 3, 2023. University, college, community college, and other higher-education bound students graduating in 2023 from Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties are eligible to apply for EWVCF scholarships.

For the past 27 years, EWVCF has been committed to assisting students as they pursue their higher education goals. Thanks to donors who share this vision, the foundation offers dozens of scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000.

In 2023, forty-three different funds will award scholarships totaling more than $150,000 to students from Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties in the Eastern Panhandle. Students can visit the community foundation’s website at www.EWVCF.org to learn about the different types of scholarships available and their respective requirements, as some are quite specific.

Aimee Ballard received a West Virginia Wing – Civil Air Patrol Cadet Scholarship from the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation for the first time in 2020 when she graduated from Jefferson High School. Now in her third year at WVU, Aimee continues to be active in the Civil Air Patrol, earning the rank of Cadet/First Lieutenant and qualifying to receive the scholarship each of the last two years.

The West Virginia Wing – Civil Air Patrol Cadet Scholarship Fund was established by the late Dennis D. Barron to award scholarships to Civil Air Patrol cadets from around the state. Cadets who are chosen to receive these scholarships must be excellent students and proven leaders in their squadrons. The scholarships are renewable so long as the student remains a cadet in the West Virginia Wing throughout his or her college years.

The Theodore K. Oates Nursing Scholarship is for Berkeley County graduates who are currently studying or plan to study nursing at one of the colleges, universities, or technical institutes in the Eastern Panhandle. It is one of the few EWVCF scholarships that are available to students who are already attending college.

The Floyd and Isabel Jacques Memorial scholarship fund was created by Mr. Jacques to benefit Musselman High School seniors who are in the top 10% of their class. Previous Jacques Scholarship recipients have attended a wide range of colleges and universities, including Shenandoah University, Hagerstown Community College, and Seton Hill University.

The Martinsburg High School Class of 1964 Fund was created with gifts from dozens of Class of ’64 graduates. This fund provides scholarships for Martinsburg High graduates who will attend a West Virginia higher education institution.

The Derflinger Earth Sciences Scholarship fund was established by the late Jerry Derflinger. This fund provides scholarships for a graduating senior who is planning to attend a West Virginia public college or university and pursue a degree in agriculture, forestry, geology, archeology, or environmental science.

The Susan Wellford Smith Scholarship fund was established in memory of Ms. Smith by her family. This fund provides scholarships for female athletes from Jefferson County who plan to pursue a four-year degree.

The Anna Jo Crosby scholarship fund was established by Ms. Crosby’s husband, family, and friends as a tribute to her memory. This scholarship supports Morgan County high school graduates pursuing a degree in biology or veterinary science.

Recent college graduates preparing to enter Law School may want to apply for the J. Oakley Seibert Scholarship, which was established in his memory to support law school students who reside in and plan to return to the Eastern Panhandle to practice law after graduation.

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation and its affiliates use an online scholarship application hosted by AwardSpring for most scholarships. That application can be found at https://ewvcf.awardspring.com . For more information, contact Scholarship Program Manager Karin Hammann Dunn at  khdunn@ewvcf.org or 304-671-8167.

Entering its 28th year in 2023, EWVCF will continue to offer many programs that support our community.  The Foundation awards $1 million in grants and scholarships annually and manages more than $32 million in endowed funds.  Thanks to an outstanding Board of Directors, dedicated donors, highly competent investment advisors, and professional staff, the Community Foundation will serve the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia for generations to come.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

January 12, 2023 By Michael Whalton

2023 EWVCF Winter/Spring Grant Opportunities

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation’s Winter/Spring Grant Programs cover a wide range of funding categories: Animal Welfare, Healthcare, Historic Cemeteries, Housing Action, Human Welfare, Jefferson County Housing, and Senior Programs.

Eligibility, Deadline, Reports, and Requirements

Eligible Organizations: The Community Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations providing a wide range of direct benefits in Morgan, Berkeley, and/or Jefferson counties of West Virginia. Programs that celebrate diversity and/or promote equity and inclusion are encouraged. Please note: Organizations will only be able to submit one application per funding category.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
  • An already existing nonprofit, 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(13) organization in good standing with the IRS, or
  • An existing government/quasi-governmental agency, or public school applying for a project that is not funded by tax revenue, or
  • A religious organization requesting funding for a non-sectarian charitable purpose, or
  • A civic group that is not a 501(c)(3) organization requesting funding for a charitable community cause.
Required Financial Information for 501(c)(3) Organizations
Applications must include financial information for the organization as a whole, and in addition:
  • Applicants with charitable contributions over $300,000 but less than $500,000 must provide the most recent financial review performed by an independent certified public accountant.
  • Applicants with charitable contributions over $500,000 must provide the most recent audit performed by an independent certified public accountant.

In addition, 501(c)(3) organizations must be in good standing with:

  • West Virginia Secretary of State’s Business & Licensing and also the Charities Division: http://apps.sos.wv.gov/business/corporations/ & https://sos.wv.gov/business/Pages/Charities.aspx
  • IRS, as assessed via IRS Pub 78 and GuideStar: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ & https://www.guidestar.org/Home.aspx

Application Period: January 5 – February 23, 2023.

Grant Notification: Grantees will be notified and grants will be awarded by March 31, 2023.

Trust-Based Philanthropy Reporting Requirements: In an effort to streamline the grants process for nonprofit organizations, the Community Foundation has adopted trust-based philanthropy and will award and pay the Winter/Spring grants upfront. A final report, including a summary of grant expenses, must be provided to the Community Foundation by December 6, 2023, and grantees agree to attend a Zoom meeting to discuss their grant on December 7, 2023, at 3 PM. Please mark your calendars for those dates! Extensions may be allowed with prior approval.

(PLEASE NOTE: if you received a 2022 Winter/Spring grant from EWVCF, you must finish your final grant report before any application you submit now will be considered by our Grants Committee.)

EWVCF Winter/Spring Grant Funding Categories  

Eastern Panhandle CARE Fund – Healthcare grants will be awarded to support Eastern Panhandle healthcare programs that provide one or more of the following: Empowerment through health education; connection to community healthcare resources; or access to affordable, high-quality, patient-centered care. Grant range: $5,000 to $10,000. Apply Here: Eastern Panhandle CARE Fund – Healthcare Grant Application

Kings Daughters Senior Citizens Charitable Fund – Grants to organizations that provide elderly persons living in the Eastern Panhandle with housing facilities and servicesspecifically designed to meet their physical, social, and psychological needs and to promote their health, security, happiness, and usefulness in longer living. Grant range: $5,000 to $12,000. Apply Here: Kings Daughters Senior Citizens Charitable Fund – Senior Care Grant Application

Housing Action Fund – Grants to address homelessness and affordable housing will be awarded from this fund to support programs in Jefferson, Berkeley, and/or Morgan counties. An emphasis will be placed on programs that promote inter-county collaborative efforts, increase community knowledge, serve high-need populations, and/or focus on underserved towns or counties. Grant range: $1,000 to $2,000. Apply Here: Housing Action Fund – Grant Application

Joan Roach Volunteer Fund for the Needy – Human Welfare Grants will be awarded to support Eastern Panhandle programs that provide assistance to sick, needy, dependent, neglected, or disadvantaged persons. Grant range: $1,000 to $2,000. Apply Here: Joan Roach Volunteer Fund for the Needy – Human Welfare Grant Application 

Don and Polly Roach “Friends of Animals” Free Spay & Neuter Fund – will award grants to 501(c)(3) organizations and government agencies that focus on Animal Rescue in the Eastern Panhandle and work with local veterinarians to help pet owners who cannot afford to spay or neuter their cat or dog. Grant range: $500 to $1,000. Apply Here: Don & Polly Roach Free Spay and Neuter Fund – Grant Application

Partnership for Affordable Housing Fund – Grants that support housing activities in Jefferson County that benefit households at or below the median household income for Jefferson County. Funding for Feasibility studies for housing serving the target group, assistance with security deposits for low-income renters, materials & equipment for a homeless shelter, financial assistance for purchasing or rehabbing a home, and more may be considered. General guidelines to follow would be the eligible housing activities under two HUD-funded programs CDBG & HOME. Charitable organizations, including nonprofit housing developers, Community Organizations registered as nonprofit with the State of West Virginia, local governments including their subsidiaries within Jefferson County, and religious institutions serving Jefferson County, may apply. Grant range: $1,000 to $3,000. Apply Here: Jefferson County Partnership for Affordable Housing Fund – Grant Application

Helen Parker Willard Fund – Historic Cemetery Grants will be awarded to Jefferson County 501(c)(13) historic cemeteries, 501(c)(3) organizations, and other nonprofits with a strict adherence to the following purposes; maintenance, repair, and restoration of monuments, headstones, and grave markers of historical or architectural significance to the community, emphasizing notable Civil War-era history; preservation, beautification, and maintenance of abandoned or deteriorating graves of deceased persons, focusing on areas open to the public, and/or maintenance of semipublic areas that lessen the burden of government. Grant range: $1,000 to $5,000. Apply Here: Jefferson County Helen Parker Willard Fund – Historic Cemetery Grant Application

Filed Under: Slider

December 21, 2022 By Michael Whalton

EWVCF Now Accepting 2023 Scholarship Applications

EWVCF and Affiliate Scholarships – Apply Online

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) and its affiliates work with donors who have established more than four dozen scholarship funds. Awards range from $500 to $6,000. In 2022, the Foundation awarded over $180,000 in scholarships to students in Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire, and Hardy Counties.

Our scholarship application is available through an online platform, AwardSpring.  Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on March, 3rd, 2023.

To see a list of scholarships available through the Community Foundation, click on the following links:

EWVCF Scholarship Funds – residents of Berkeley, Jefferson, or Morgan Counties
Hampshire Funds – residents of Hampshire County

Hardy Funds – residents of Hardy County

Go directly to our application site: https://ewvcf.awardspring.com

Timeline:

  • November 1st, 2022 – Our online application goes live.
  • March 3rd, 2023 – Applications are Due. No Exceptions. The system will not accept applications after midnight.
  • March/April – Our committees will review applications and conduct interviews for certain scholarships.
  • May – We will notify applicants only if they’ve been selected to receive a scholarship.
  • June 15 – Recipients must submit a completed scholarship acceptance form before we can process their scholarship for payment.
  • July – Scholarship awards are mailed to schools (made payable to the school to benefit the recipient).

For step-by-step guidance on completing the online application, download: EWVCF AwardSpring Navigation Guide

For answers to common questions about our scholarship program, download Scholarships-FAQ-2023 

For information about non-traditional scholarships, click here: Scholarships with Separate Applications

Filed Under: Slider, Uncategorized

December 19, 2022 By Rebecca Knight

EWVCF Awards Over $160K in Youth and Education Grants to Eastern Panhandle Nonprofits and Schools

            The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) recently awarded 53 Youth and Education grants, totaling $163,525.43, to 38 organizations tackling the issues faced by families and young ones in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan County.

            The majority of the funding went to organizations addressing the most basic needs in the Eastern Panhandle. $73,800 will allow organizations such as Community Networks, Graciously Giving Foundation, Faith Community Coalition for the Homeless, Renewed Life Ministry, the Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program, and Morgan County Starting Points to continue to provide food, shelter, medical care, clothes, childcare, and more to the most vulnerable among us. The Martinsburg Initiative will use their five grants to continue their outreach to local schools in an effort to prevent substance abuse disorders and build strong families in our area. Community Combined Ministries received two grants to support the Kidz Power Pacs program, a vital community effort to end childhood hunger in the Eastern Panhandle.

The West Virginia University Foundation/Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program team.

            Educational programs in our area received $40,626.43. Nearly $17,000 will be used to improve the literacy of Eastern Panhandle young ones. Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries received a grant for their 2023 Summer Reading Program “All Together Now.” Youth Services Manager Emily Jones reported that Berkeley County school teachers greatly appreciate the library’s reading programs which have been proven to help students maintain reading proficiency through the summer months. Martinsburg Sunrise Rotary Foundation will distribute ten books of each child’s choosing to every second grade student in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan County through their Eastern Panhandle Reading program. Multiple school officials voiced their support and enthusiasm for this program which distributes tens of thousands of new books every year.  Likewise, EL teacher Jill Leathers of Opequon Elementary School will use her grant to continue to build a bilingual library in her classroom, where students will be allowed to check out bags of these books to encourage at-home reading. Spring Mills Middle School teacher Stephanie Gardner will use her grant to expand and diversify the history books in her 8th grade West Virginia Studies classroom library.

Second graders receiving books from the Martinsburg Sunrise Rotary Foundation.

            Nearly $12,000 will fund STEM-related programs. Harpers Ferry Middle School’s Jill Fornadley, recipient of several previous EWVCF grants and ever the champion of learning via virtual reality, will use this grant to purchase cameras that will allow her students to film and create their own virtual Social Studies content about local West Virginia history which could be shared in schools throughout the state. Kristina Allis, Technology Integration Specialist at Orchard View Intermediate School, will use her grant to purchase Snap Circuits, electrical kits that allow children ages 8 and above to learn about electricity by creating functional circuit boards.  At Wind Dance Farm & Earth Education Center in Morgan County, Director and Environmental Educator Leslie-Devine Milbourne received a grant for technological upgrades and supplies, which will allow the organization to continue their vital work of educating local youth about nature and the environment through their Student Citizen Scientist programs.

Kids enjoy the many outdoor educational programs at Wind Dance Farm and Earth Education Center.

            EWVCF also funded an exciting new educational program from the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission. The Commission is dedicated to providing heritage education to all ages, and this grant will allow them to deliver direct presentations to all Jefferson County 4th grade classrooms. Dr. Deborah Rochefort will travel to all nine elementary schools, presenting herself as a woman from 1775 and teaching students about 18th century textiles. Commission Chair Martin Burke anticipates that this program will generate “more appreciation and interest in life in the 18th century” among Jefferson County students as they are taught American Colonial History.

Dr. Deborah Rochefort.

            Organizations and programs dedicated to fostering a love of the arts in Eastern Panhandle youth received $20,434. The Apollo Civic Theatre, BlackCat Music Cooperative, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, and Morgan Arts Council all received grants which will allow them to continue their vital work educating Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan County young ones on the importance of creativity and self-expression through art. Meghan O’Neill of Shepherdstown Middle School and Jordan English of Spring Mills Middle School will use their grants to further musical education. Kim Patton, School Counselor at Opequon Elementary School, will use her grant to ensure that every student will receive a box of multicultural crayons and construction paper for school projects.

The Contemporary American Theatre Festival’s Hostel YOUTH! immersive summer educational program.

            Recreational programs and programs tackling the social and emotional needs of our youth received nearly $30,000. Neil Troppman, Head Coach of the Boy’s Club Lacrosse at Martinsburg High School, received a grant to purchase new helmets for every member of the team. Burke Street Elementary School families will enjoy the opportunity to have portraits taken by a professional photographer at the school thanks to a grant received by School Counselor Teresa Weller. Teri Wilson of Berkeley Heights Elementary School received a grant to purchase Playground Activity Panels, which will allow students to enjoy independent, unstructured outdoor playtime.

Martinsburg High School Boys Club Lacrosse.

            Another vital Eastern Panhandle organization, Potomac Valley Audubon Society, received four grants. Two of those grants will support their “Nature in the Neighborhood” programs, allowing PVAS to bring summer camp experiences to disadvantaged youth in Berkeley and Jefferson county. The other two grants will allow PVAS to continue to bring hands-on environmental education programs directly to schools in our area. Executive Director Kristin Alexander shared the following story with EWVCF about the organization’s Lead Educator Amy Moore Thomas’s recent successful trip to a classroom at Marlowe Elementary School. “Amy had the BEST time presenting her ‘Bugs a Billion’ program to 1st graders,” Alexander wrote. “They got to hold wiggly mealworms and one little girl told Amy that she’d been scared of bugs before the program, but now she was HOLDING one and she wasn’t scared anymore.” When Amy lead students outside to see even more insects, the kids began jumping up and down with excitement. “Amy came back and shared that those kinds of programs are why she loves her job. They re-energize her every time. Thank you for making these programs possible for ALL students,” said Alexander.

One of Potomac Valley Audubon Society’s many classroom programs.

            The Community Foundation’s Youth and Education grants are made possible thanks to the generosity of EWVCF’s donors. Funding came from the Jane P. Snyder Youth Fund, C. Scott and Elizabeth C. Shade Youth Fund, Bonn Poland Family Roundhouse Recreation Fund, Frada Fine Berkeley County Education Fund, and the Tom and Virginia Seely Morgan County Children’s Fund. Additionally, the Fund advisors for the Bill and Nancy White Charitable Fund, Fleming Family Fund, W. Randy Smith Family Fund, and the Michael and Brenda Mullin Charitable Fund stepped in and allowed the Foundation to award nearly $66,000 more than initially expected.

            The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) was established in 1995 to help donors create permanent endowments to provide grants and scholarships throughout the region. Since its inception, EWVCF has awarded nearly $14.7 million, including $1 million in 2022 alone. The Community Foundation now holds more than 260 endowed funds with assets of $34 million and it is the leading steward of philanthropic giving in the region. EWVCF works with a wide range of nonprofit organizations providing funding for projects from human welfare and scholarships to affordable housing and natural resources conservation; youth and education to animal welfare and historic preservation, and much more. For information visit www.EWVCF.org, or contact EWVCF Executive Director Michael Whalton at mwhalton@ewvcf.org , 304-264-0353.

Filed Under: Blog, Slider

November 27, 2022 By Michael Whalton

27th Annual Report to the Community Now Online

Our 27th Annual Report to the Community is at the printer and hard copies will be mailed in early December. If you haven’t received our annual report in the past, but would like to, please let us know and we’ll add your name and address to our mailing list. In the meantime, you can enjoy reading the stories and learning about the grants and scholarships we awarded in 2021 by clicking on the photo of the cover below to open the flipbook version of the full annual report. We hope you will enjoy reading about our friends and neighbors who have left a lasting legacy to the communities they loved.

Please wait while flipbook is loading. For more related info, FAQs and issues please refer to DearFlip WordPress Flipbook Plugin Help documentation.

Filed Under: Slider, Uncategorized

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Contact EWVCF

Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation
229 East Martin St., Suite 4
Martinsburg, WV 25401
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Vision

Our Vision is to build vibrant communities that provide opportunities for everyone living in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

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Our Mission is to inspire philanthropy, serve donors, strengthen communities, and improve the quality of life in Eastern West Virginia now and for future generations.

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