On Wednesday, December 11, nearly 100 Cordovans gathered under the Cordova Center’s lovely “Northern Lights” to learn more about the Cordova Community Foundation. Eight of our nine Advisory Board members were present to mingle and answer questions about this new endeavor for Cordova. Guests enjoyed festive music from Jack Reilly, Erik Kokborg, Amy O’Neill Houck, and Sam O’Toole, while eating delicious appetizers catered by the Reluctant Fisherman Inn’s chef, Lance Webb, 50% of which was donated by the Inn’s generous owners, Sylvia Lange and Greg Meyers.
Rep. Louise Stutes was one of our guests, attending our event after her own community event in town. Advisory Board member, Rob Eckley, started off his remarks with a poem: “Money makes money, and the money money makes, makes more money!” Rob explained, “I like the idea that for every dollar someone donates to the Cordova Community Foundation, there is a nickel available every year for perpetuity. So your legacy lives on!” Also, the money we raise will only ever support Cordova’s charitable organizations!
The big news of the evening was that the Cordova Community Foundation has opened our first small grant program! The Alaska Community Foundation, our “parent” nonprofit, seeded Cordova Community Foundation with $5,000 for grantmaking. We can award three to four small grants of $500-$1,000 now, while our main grantmaking endowment builds up annual, spendable amounts! Applications are due by January 8th and will be announced during the Iceworm Festival at the end of January. Don’t delay if you are part of a Cordova nonprofit and wish to be considered for a small grant!
To kick-start the charitable giving, guests who filled out a contact information slip were entered in a drawing for three $250 discretionary grants to be given to the Cordova nonprofit of their choice, given out in January. The winners and their lucky nonprofit recipients were:
Jeff Bailey—Pioneers of Alaska 19, Men’s Igloo
Deb Ethier—Cordova Music Camp
Karrin Marchant—The Salvation Army, Cordova Chapter
Advisory Board Chair, Kristin Carpenter, thanked the donors who have already graciously contributed to our endowment, explaining that the Rasmuson Foundation and ACF will match funds 1:1 raised by the end of 2020, up to $130,000! She also announced that we have also received a significant anonymous donation, before the end of our first year!
Advisory Board member, Michelle Hahn, shared her secret goal of raising $5 million in five years for Cordova Community Foundation’s main grantmaking endowment. As we end the first year, we recognize that this goal is achievable. We’ve witnessed so many generous Cordovans step forward to invest in the future of our community forever by making charitable donations to our grantmaking endowment and our operating endowment funds. We look forward to seeing all that we can accomplish in 2020!