Foundation Makes Grants to Help Fund Arbor Day Event and Upgrades for Creative Arts Group

Members of the met Thursday evening to award grants to organizations they deemed worthy of their support, including the City of Sierra Madre, which received a check for $500; and Sierra Madre's Creative Arts Group, which was given $1,700 by the nonprofit SMCF.

The city will use the money to help fund its upcoming Arbor Day celebration, while will use its grant to upgrade some of its computers, according to event planners.

The Sierra Madre Community Foundation awards grants to Sierra Madre-based groups with specific needs on an ongoing basis and at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Additionally, the SMCF can also act as an endowment for other organizations, setting up so-called “Special Project Funds” for groups such as Sierra Madre Little League, the Fourth of July Parade Committee, the All-America City Committee, Sierra Madre’s and others.

As for how the foundation decides to whom they award grants, organizations are free to apply at any time, assuming they fall under the general categories of Civic Improvement, Environment, Learning & Arts and , which the foundation uses to guide their decision making on grant awards.

With no paid staff, the SMCF comprises an all-volunteer Board of Directors with a wide range of professional and philanthropic backgrounds. The group meets quarterly to tend to the business of maintaining its endowment, raising new funds and choosing future grant recipients. Most of the grants awarded by the SMCF range between $1,000 and $2,000.

“We’re out there looking for needs in the community that are going unmet,” Foundation Chair Robert Stockly said during the grant presentation event held at the restaurant on Sierra Madre Boulevard.

Fundraising comes mainly from the group’s endowment, which is funded by individual contributions. Asked to summarize the mission of the group, Board Member Benn Martin simply pointed to the group’s logo, which reads, “We Raise Money from the Community, for the Community.”

According to Board Member , the group is making a concerted effort to become even more visible and involved in the Sierra Madre community. That desire is evidenced in part by the current, ongoing construction of a new website for the group, on which interested parties can learn more about the foundation, make contributions and apply for grants.