Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry today announced the recipients of the city’s Forward Together grants, which were created last year to support eligible nonprofit organizations in the Evansville community.
In all, 15 organizations were awarded a total of $500,000 in Forward Together grant funds. The funds are intended to aid organizations who lead meaningful work in one of the following areas:
- Home Weatherization
- Food Access
- Services for people experiencing homelessness, and
- Literacy
Organizations were able to apply for up to $35,000 each to fund such programs.
A total of 45 organizations applied for funding, which were derived from interest on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
The awards are contingent on City Council approving allocation of these ARPA interest funds. That approval is on the agenda for tonight’s City Council meeting.
Funding was awarded to the following organizations:
- YWCA, Tech Tools for Transformation, $12,000 (Homeless Services)
- St. Vincent Early Learning Center, Growing Readers, Growing Families, $28,200 (Literacy)
- University of Evansville, UE School of Education Literacy in the Community Project, $30,000 (Literacy)
- Patchwork Central, Patchwork Central’s Neighborhood Hospitality and Food Pantry, $35,000 (Food Access, Homeless Services)
- Aurora, Homeless Street Outreach, $35,000 (Homeless Services)
- JD Sheth Foundation, Meena’s Place, $30,000 (Homeless Services)
- CAPE (Community Action Program of Evansville), Increasing Access to Federal Weatherization Dollars, $35,000 (Weatherization)
- United Way, K-Camp, $35,000 (Literacy)
- Impact Evansville, Bedford Collab Project, $35,000 (Food Access)
- Urban Seeds, $35,000 (Food Access)
- Potter’s Wheel, Addressing Food Access in Evansville Through the Diner, $35,000 (Food Access, Homeless Services)
- YMCA of Southwestern Indiana, Grade Level Reading and Healthy Eating, $35,000 (Food Access, Literacy)
- Community One, Major Home Repair Program, $35,000 (Weatherization)
- Albion Fellows Bacon Center, Safety Voice and Choice for Survivors and Albion Fellows Bacon Center, $35,000 (Homeless Services)
- Evansville Rescue Mission, Supporting Emergency Shelter and Food Access in Evansville, $25,000 (Food Access, Homeless Services)
- Meals on Wheels Evansville, Inc., Meal Delivery to the Homebound, $24,780 (Food Access)
All applications were reviewed by a committee of volunteers, which made recommendations for funding. Those recommendations were reviewed by Mayor Terry before she made final decisions.
“This year’s Forward Together grants come at a critical moment for many in our community,” Mayor Terry said. “Rising utility costs make weatherization programs more important than ever, and the uncertainty around SNAP benefits has highlighted the strain many families feel just to put food on the table.
“These grants will help local organizations meet those immediate needs while also supporting literacy programs and services for our unhoused neighbors, helping to build stability and opportunity in our community.”
Ariah Leary, Community Affairs & Special projects Director for the Office of Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry, will be available to speak to media about the grants at 1:00 p.m. today in the Mayor’s Office, room 302 of the Civic Center.
