The Open Hearts Foundation, founded by Jane Seymour, OBE, has surprised four nonprofits with $25,000 Community Impact Grants for their exceptional work in fighting food insecurity in their communities.
Open Hearts Foundation’s Jane Seymour and Sarah Vohland Visit Anthony Linquata at Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, UNITED STATES, December 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Open Hearts Foundation, founded by award winning actress and philanthropist, Jane Seymour, OBE, announced that the Foundation has surprised four of its past nonprofit partners with special Community Impact Grants of $25,000 each. These four dynamic nonprofits, rooted in their own communities, are solving issues of food insecurity at a time when many families are struggling to make ends meet. Because of these nonprofit partners’ achievements, the Foundation sought to recognize them in a unique way, outside of a traditional grant application process.
Jane Seymour, Founder and Board member, stated, “We are thrilled to honor these exceptional, community-led nonprofit partners. These organizations exemplify our Open Hearts philosophy of turning adversity into opportunity and positive action. They are dedicated to improving the lives of women and children by providing vital services like access to food and have demonstrated remarkable impact despite often operating with limited resources. Their unwavering commitment to their communities embodies the spirit of our foundation.”
During the pandemic, the Open Hearts Foundation expanded its grantmaking and made the application processes easier to assure that nonprofits could quickly direct dollars where they were most needed in their communities. Since then, the Open Hearts Foundation has built relationships with all its nonprofit partners as they have continued to meet the shifting needs of the families they serve. For this grant cycle, the Foundation sought to recognize previous grantees that have continued to achieve great impact in their communities. The awards were granted by the Foundation after deep review of each nonprofit partner’s recent programs, governance, and financial capacity.
Jennifer Barnes, Co-Founder of Solidarity Sandy Springs, expressed, “We are so grateful to the Open Hearts Foundation for their generous $25,000 support, which will enable us to provide nutritious, fresh produce selections for our struggling workforce population. With this funding, we will be able to provide 10-15 fresh produce selections to our 750+ weekly shoppers and their families for several months. With the increasing cost of food, we continue to see families who need a hand growing every week. Open Hearts Foundation help came at a great time as the community needs continue to grow. Thank you for your heart and for helping neighbors.”
The Open Hearts Foundation is committed to supporting small and mid-sized nonprofits that demonstrate the Open Hearts philosophy of turning adversity into positive action. As a champion for volunteerism, the Foundation also looks to support organizations led or founded by members of the community served or where the community’s voices are centered. Because most Open Hearts Foundation grantees are grassroots organizations, they often must achieve great impact on tight budgets and significant grants can make a critical difference to their program success.
Tim Mallad, Board Chair, emphasized, “We seek to be a true partner with our grantees and to build long term relationships that allow them to significantly impact their communities. By awarding these smaller organizations with unrestricted grants of $25,000, we hope they have just a little more breathing room to vision for the future and serve their communities more deeply.”
For this grant cycle, the Foundation is pleased to provide Community Impact Grants awards to the following nonprofits:
– City Youth Now: $25,000 grant for programs and services, including food and housing, that promote stability, personal growth, and long-term success for San Francisco youth (especially those in the Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems).
– Chinle Planting Hope: $25,000 grant for community-led initiatives that bring hope and empowerment to families and communities on the Navajo Nation, including youth education, community gardens, and food security programs for seniors.
– Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank: $25,000 grant to continue their work as a unique food pantry, founded by community volunteers that support families in the Conejo Valley of California struggling with food insecurity.
– Solidarity Sandy Springs: $25,000 grant for enhancing food pantry services and their expanded community movement to help both overlooked and workforce families in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Open Hearts Foundation grants are funded through the generosity of donors across the country that believe in the Open Hearts philosophy that we can all do something to help one another. The Foundation welcomes donations, large and small, from the public to raise additional funding and future grant making. For more information on Open Hearts Foundation and its initiatives, please visit https://www.openheartsfoundation.org.
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