City of Muskogee Foundation to consider fewer grants

Jun. 24—Eight programs are up for consideration Monday as the City of Muskogee Foundation draws from a diminished pool of grant money.

The foundation's board of directors will consider grant requests totaling $640,000 at its regular meeting, 3:30 p.m. Monday. In June, 2022, the foundation board approved 25 grant requests, totaling more than $2 million.

Rising inflation and volatile markets in late 2022 prompted the foundation board to slash its budget for grant projects to $700,000. At that time, Foundation Investment Committee Chairman James Gulley said the committee wanted to ensure that the foundation remains viable for generations to come.

Since December, the foundation's Health and Wellness Committee, Education and Empowerment Committee and Quality of Life Committee poured through grant requests that would fit into the smaller budget.

"This year is a new year for us, as far as having a very small budget," said Education and Empowerment Committee Chairman Aaron George. "We're used to being able to fund a majority of our stuff, and we just didn't have it this year. We had to look at where the impact would be needed the most. It was not easy."

In March, that committee recommended reducing eight grant requests down to four. The four programs recommended for advancement are to get less than what they requested.

Neighbors Building Neighborhoods is to receive $250,000 for its Dream Team Youth Programs at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. An earlier request was for $259,064.

MLK Center Director Derrick Reed said foundation money "is the life blood of our programs."

"That budget item will enable us to have an after school program, as well as a summer camp," Reed said. "It will cover the cost of teachers, as well as food and other expenses that occur."

However, he said $250,000 is "a significant bare minimum budget."

Hilldale Public Schools is set to receive $25,000 for its Inclusion of All Students Program. The original request was for $36,000. Assistant Hilldale Superintendent Deborah Tennison said the program is a huge and inclusive one.

"The City of Muskogee Foundation will be a great start to help us support these kids, who sometimes don't get the support they need," Tennison said.

She said the program could offer 24-hour tutoring for Gifted and Talented students.

"If they are taking college classes, they need support at night, when they're doing their homework," she said.

Nonverbal students would get devices to help them communicate with others in the classroom and English language learners would get activities to enable them to learn a new language and communicate better with their peers, she said.

Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc., is set to receive $95,000. The earlier request was for $110,693.

CASA for Children Executive Director Suzanne Hughes said foundation money pays salaries for two volunteer coordinators. The area CASA serves Muskogee, McIntosh, Sequoyah and Wagoner Counties.

"Each employee we have under that grant is able to have 30 volunteers," Hughes said. "Without that funding, we wouldn't be able to retain those 30 volunteers. We usually say that's 75 children we end up serving."

The foundation grant also helps fund office needs, training and travel, Hughes said.