VIGO COUNTY Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – The Wabash Community Foundation announced Tuesday they met their $1 million challenge grant in Vigo County.
In a statement Executive Director for the Wabash Valley Community Foundation Beth Tevlin said “Completion of the GIFT VII challenge grant will provide, once fully invested, an additional $60,000 annually in funding for grants in Vigo County.”
The challenge was issued in October of 2018, giving the foundation two years to raise the funds.
Tuesday Tevlin said they exceeded that goal.
“(The Lilly Endowment) will match each dollar raised in those three counties during that time frame with $2,” Tevlin said. “So it’s a great way for local people to be able to make a contribution to benefit their county and to have Lilly match that. It’s not competitive between the counties but it’s really wanting to bring as much money as we can to invest in our local community, so that money will always be here, today and tomorrow.”
Tevlin said their foundation is across three Indiana counties, and all participated.
Clay and Sullivan counties were asked to raise $500,000 each totaling $2 million including Vigo.
President of the WVCF Board of Directors, Nancy Rogers, said this is a wonderful opportunity for all three counties.
“The GIFT matching opportunities from Lilly Endowment have allowed us to significantly grow our capacity to support our communities and increase our grant making ability,” she said. “We will be able to continue facilitating innovative and proactive funding to respond to the Wabash Valley’s most pressing and compelling challenges, opportunities and urgent needs.”
The Wabash Valley Community Foundation donates to non-profit organizations and in recent years has donated to Council on Domestic Abuse, the Swope Art Museum, the Wabash Habitat for Humanity and the Wabash Valley Health Center.
