As the Poplar Bluff Regional Giving Circle prepares to award grants for 2021, board member Charley Harper is already looking forward to next year.
Harper, a longtime Poplar Bluff resident and retired Poplar Bluff High School Spanish teacher, says that the Giving Circle is “a way to take a relatively small amount of money and benefit a number of worthy organizations because your money is pooled with everyone else’s.”
Founded in 2012, the Giving Circle has awarded more than $42,000 in grants to 16 different area nonprofit agencies.
Harper says these grants typically fund small projects that lack traditional funding available in the organization’s budget.
2021 has been the group’s best fundraising year yet, raising $10,000 from memberships. All but $250 held back for administrative costs will be awarded this year.
The awards will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m. at Fellowship Church, located off Highway 67 North in Poplar Bluff. Eight organizations completed grant applications.
The Giving Circle is founded on the concept of “cooperative giving.” All donations go into one fund that is divided and distributed to grant recipients.
Membership is a $50 minimum donation, which also gives the donor one vote each year to help decide which organizations receive grant funds.
People can choose to give more, but one membership still only gets one vote. Student membership is also available for a $20 donation.
The Giving Circle is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible.
For nonprofit agencies who want to apply for Giving Circle grants, applications are available at their website. The application window is typically from August to September. Members then have a two-week window to vote on who will receive requested funding.
Harper says the group’s fundraising efforts are annual, with members making presentations at civic groups and churches to encourage membership.
“No one of us can do as much as all of us,” Harper says.
Memberships and grant applications can both be found on the group’s website, www.pbgivingcircle.org. Members can mail donations by check or pay online through Paypal.