Spring 2021 Funding Cycle

The Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities (ACBDD), in partnership with the Athens County Foundation, is proud to announce the 2021 Spring Request for Proposals (RFP) for the ATCO Legacy Fund.

The Athens County Foundation is providing administrative support to the ATCO Legacy Fund’s grant process. For questions or concerns, please email the Athens County Foundation at info@athensfoundation.org.

History:
ATCO, which was the ACBDD’s adult services program for nearly 50 years, was a much-beloved program that prioritized advocacy and inclusion for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Athens County. In order to comply with a federal rule, ATCO closed in December 2018 after a three-year transition plan.

The ATCO Legacy Fund is designed to allow the ACBDD to carry on the compassion and philosophy developed at ATCO well into the future. As part of that process, stakeholders helped the ACBDD to identify certain elements from ATCO that could be sustained and enhanced while still remaining in compliance. Those conversations led to the creation of this fund in 2018.

Eligibility:
This program is designed to offer financial assistance to providers (agency and independent), organizations, and other community partners in Athens County that are interested in working towards integration and inclusive opportunities for adults or transition-age youth (13-21 years old) with I/DD. This cycle will also maintain a funding priority for COVID-19-related expenditures, as noted in the funding priorities section below.

Timeline:
This completed form is due May 26th by 5 p.m. The Athens County Foundation will convene a committee to review all proposals. The committee will then present selection recommendations – based on the criteria outlined below – to the ACBDD’s Superintendent.

Funding Availability:
The ACBDD has allocated $20,000.00 for this cycle. There is no minimum or maximum funding level per request.

Funding Priorities: The structure and funding priorities are intentionally left broad and open-ended to ensure that needs of individuals with I/DD are met regarding inclusion, as well as during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

1. Promoting and supporting integration and inclusion for adults or students of transition-age (13 to 21 years of age) with I/DD in Athens County. Examples could be (but not limited to): adaptive equipment that makes things accessible, supplies for projects, technology, memberships.
2. Related to COVID-19, promoting the health and/or safety of individuals with I/DD or their staff. Examples could be (but not limited to): household supplies, PPE, or other fixed costs.

Apply via Google Forms

Apply via email. Download Form.

Susan Urano began working for the Athens Foundation in 2003 as Executive Director and retired from her position in May of 2019. However, she has been an instrumental part of navigating the organization through the recent pandemic as a part-time consultant. In recognition of her service to the Foundation, and the community, the Athens County Foundation is honoring her with the Cornwell Award.

Susan is a graduate from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Master of Fine Arts. Prior to her work at the Athens County Foundation, she was employed at the Dairy Barn as Executive Director. She is an author of The Community Table, which was published in 2018. Since retiring from her position at the Foundation, she started a consulting firm, V+U Strategies, and has returned to her roots as an artist.

Susan’s list of achievements includes establishing a no-rent lease agreement for the entire second floor of the Chase bank building which now houses the Foundation while they search for a permanent home. During Susan’s tenure with the Foundation, she structured a robust financial system, developed the successful Leadership Athens County program, developed many strategic corporate and community partnerships, and succeeded in creating many fundraising events, including Bounty on the Bricks which raised over $400,000 in four years to support our local food bank and food pantries. One of the endeavors for which Susan is most proud however is, “… being able to cultivate loyal donors who genuinely love Athens County and want to help those in need,” to which she quickly adds, “everything accomplished was through the strength of partnering with the community, and the help of qualified associates with whom I worked.” For example, Susan helped launch Leadership Athens County, a program now in its 15th year with over 300 graduates. Participants explore different components of Athens County including capitalizing on natural and cultural assets, cultivating a ready workforce, building critical infrastructure, exploring economic shifts and identifying opportunities, creating healthy communities, addressing racism and inclusion and developing community capacity. Many graduates have gone on to assume leadership roles in government, business, education and nonprofits. She proudly cites the 2007 partnership formed with the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville and the Sisters Health Foundation (former the Sisters of Saint Joseph Charitable Fund) which, launched the Access to Health Care for Athens County Senior Adults grant program. The initiative was established to expand impact to Athens County seniors, 50 years and over, through programs that address and improve access to health care.

In 2008 Susan championed the first Community Convening for all service providers working with children. This started a long, successful practice of inviting people into conversations that mattered to the community while constructing networks and finding solutions together.

The Foundation’s Women’s Fund was also launched during Susan’s tenure with the help of Susan Burgess, Kate Leeman, Susan Roth and Judy Millesen. The fund supports projects benefitting women and girls in Athens County. Last year, the advisory board established a Women’s Microloan Fund in partnership with the Sugarbush LLC and the Appalachian Growth Capital. In 2016, Susan guided the board to develop a Mission Related Investment Policy allowing assets to be invested in local companies for both economic and income benefits and income for the Foundation. The William Beale Legacy Fund established by the family of the late William Beale at the foundation made a significant investment in a local company. Through these initiatives, Susan raised the profile of the Athens Foundation and expanded its endowment assets 400%. The Athens County Foundation will give a $500 grant to Rising Suns Pharmacy in Susan’s honor.

The Athens County Foundation Foster B. Cornwell Awards are named in honor of local Attorney Foster B. Cornwell, a 4th generation Athenian, and his wife, Helen W. Cornwell. The Cornwells were instrumental in the growth of the Foundation and philanthropy in Athens County. Each year, the Foundation recognizes individuals with the same vision and dedication to the Athens County Community.

The Athens Foundation Women’s Fund awards the 2020 Woman of the Year award to Jenny Stotts, Executive Director of the Athens CASA/GAL Program.

Jenny Stotts is a remarkable young professional who has positively impacted the youth of our community through the CASA/GAL program. She has been the Executive Director of the program since 2013 and prior to that, Jenny was a family services caseworker and sexual abuse investigator for 9 years. Her dedication to the CASA/GAL program became even more apparent in 2016 when she took on an additional role as the Regional Director of Southeast Ohio CASA, continuing to seek a brighter future for our part of Appalachia.

Jenny inspires those around her through her energy which leads to great team cohesion within her department. Her free spirit empowers others to think for themselves and from there creativity spreads. She has shown how her efforts have prevailed by increasing volunteer numbers by 300% since her start. With her hard work and dedication, she hopes to have a volunteer for every child that is being served by their CASA program.

Jenny’s passion for personal and organizational development makes her an integral member of our community. Through her love of personal development and organization Jenny is a staunch member of our community. She is a charter member of the Athens Sunrise Rotary and the District Chair of Membership for Rotary District 6690. She is a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and a member of the Child Conservation League as she continues to dedicate her time to helping children who are less fortunate in some aspect of their lives. Jenny has a B.S. degree in Social Work and a Master of Science degree from Ohio University. The Athens County Foundation and the Women’s Fund will give a $500 grant to Women for Recovery in honor of Jenny.

Other nominees for this year’s award were Jodi Mcneal & Jennifer Fritchley and Linda Strunk.

The mission of the Women’s Fund of the Athens County Foundation is to promote philanthropy among women, and to establish a permanent fund which will provide funding to programs and projects in Athens County which empower women to achieve their full potential. Each year, the Women’s Fund awards grants to Athens County non-profits which benefit women and girls.

The Athens County Foundation and the Athens Jaycees Senior Fund Advisory Board award the 2020 Senior of the Year award to Nellia Underwood for her volunteerism and commitment to service to the Athens County Community!

Nellia, an Athens resident of Malaysian-Filipino descent, has been living in the area for 27 years. During her time in Athens, she worked doing various types of jobs — from quilting, to sewing at a car manufacturing plant, to doing administrative work for businesses.

Volunteering is not new to Nellia. She and her late husband, David Underwood, were active volunteers of the American Red Cross in Athens. Upon David’s passing in 2015, she decided to continue volunteering in the community to help in every little way that she could. For the past five years, she volunteered with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Athens and Hocking County at the Corporation of Ohio Appalachian Development Inc. (COAD). In the RSVP office, she works the front desk, maintains files, and enters data. Nellia also serves on the RSVP advisory board and the annual senior recognition luncheon and program. But her dedication to Athens County extends beyond RSVP, and this has made a difference in Athens County for many people.

Nellia was one of the primary coordinators of the “Summer Feed” program in Amesville for children. She works with the Athens County Red Cross to coordinate the distribution of supplies through RSVP. Nellia also was instrumental in taking photos for the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs. And at the start of the pandemic, she made masks and distributed them to those who needed them in Athens County.

“Nellia is a very engaged and committed volunteer with RSVP. She pitches in on projects when asked, and she takes initiative to start new projects, too,” shared Mary Abel, RSVP Advisory Board member.

Her work also extends outside of Athens County. Nellia convenes the Filipino Community where she brings together Filipinos from Athens and other neighboring communities for various events such as the Annual International Street Fair at Ohio University, and their annual Christmas get-together. In 2013, Nellia and the rest of the Filipino community raised funds to help the survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The Athens County Foundation and the Athens Jaycees Senior Fund will donate a $500 grant to Nellia’s chosen cause, COAD’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

The Athens Jaycees Senior Fund through the Athens County Foundation awards the Senior of the Year annually to a senior (65 or older) who has provided key leadership in our community, especially related to issues affecting the quality of life of seniors or in the area of philanthropy.

We are pleased to announce that the Athens County Foundation has recently been accredited with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®—the highest standards for philanthropic excellence!

We work to support the causes our community cares about, from supporting food pantries and art programs to developing local leaders through the Leadership Athens County program and supporting the Baileys Trail System. National Standards says that we meet the most rigorous standards in philanthropy and is a promise to our community that we’ll continue to do this good work together, right here in Athens County.

National Standards is not mandatory. We chose to go above and beyond by affirming our commitment to excellence and accountability. Our accreditation provides assurance that we have sound policies and practices in place. In short, it means we meet the highest standards for local giving.

To receive accreditation with National Standards, we submitted our policies and procedures to a rigorous review of 26 National Standards in six key areas of community foundation operations, including donor services, investment management, grantmaking, and administration.

The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® program was established in 2000 in cooperation with the Council on Foundations. For more information about National Standards, visit www.cfstandards.org.