The Humanics Student Philanthropy Project at California State University, Fresno awarded a record $12,000 with grants of $3,000 apiece to Animal Rescue of Fresno, Naomi’s House, Tree Fresno and the Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention.
A Students4Giving grants award ceremony at Edison High School on Tuesday, May 17, also marked a fifth and record year of funding for local community benefit organizations.
The Humanics Student Philanthropy Project is part of the Students4Giving National Initiative of Campus Compact and Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund. It is supplemented with $3,000 in matched funding from the Fresno Regional Foundation.
The grants were announced at the culmination of a semester-long process and course to encourage students’ community involvement and leadership in philanthropy. Fresno State was one of five academic institutions nationwide selected in 2007 from 35 campuses that applied to receive oversight of a $15,000 donor-advised fund for grant recommendations within its community.
The 40 students enrolled in the Sociology 183, “Philanthropy and Grant making, course taught by Dr. Don Simmons, include eight Edison High students who are earning one unit of university credit through Fresno State’s Division of Continuing & Global Education.
“This experience allows our high school students not only the opportunity to get a sense of what college is like but also to more deeply engage in their community,” said Ellie Honardoost, grant coordinator at Edison High.
The high school students are fully integrated into the four student boards of trustees, each of which presented a $3,000 check.
This year’s recipients and the purpose of each grant:
- Animal Rescue of Fresno – To spay and neuter dogs through HOPE Animal Foundation and All Creatures Veterinary Clinic so these pets can become available for adoption.
- Naomi’s House – To provide staff with mental health first-aid training to more effectively serve women exhibiting mental health issues.
- Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention – To provide 1,276 child abuse mandated reporter training packets in Spanish & English at training sessions in Fresno County.
- Tree Fresno – To continue “Trees for Campuses and Kids,” a school grant program that provides five trees to 40 schools in Fresno County.
During fall 2011, students enrolled in Sociology 184, “Grantwriting and Evaluation,” will monitor outcomes of these investments by conducting site visits to meet with staff and/or clients and review organizational reports.
The finalists were selected from local community benefit organizations that met the strict criteria created by philanthropy students developed at the start of the semester. Students investigated needs within the community. With the help of consultant Dr. Jackie Ryle, the students formed four boards of trustees, each of which researched local CBOs whose missions fit each criterion. Trustees conducted interviews, developed requests for proposals and invited organizations to apply for funding.
The $12,000 in grants was made possible, in part, by a recent gift from Friends for Civic Engagement. The Humanics Student Philanthropy Project has granted a total of $41,000 to 14 organizations over the past five years.
The Humanics Program at Fresno State is housed in the College of Social Sciences and began in 2000. It is an academic program that prepares the next generation of community benefit organization leaders.
For more information, contact Corey McPhetridge at cmcphet559@gmail.com or 559.280.0445.
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