On May 15, United Way of Kitsap County will be hosting the first annual Kitsap Olympic Peninsulas’ Funders’ Forum. The event will be held at and is sponsored by the Clearwater Casino Resort Hotel in Suquamish.
The event will bring together the region’s top grant makers representing private foundations, corporations and government organizations. Nonprofit organizations will have the opportunity to meet with and to hear funders discuss their giving priorities, deadlines, application processes, contact information and other basic facts relevant to their grant programs.
Funders represented at the event include the Ben B. Cheney Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Boeing Employee Charitable Fund, Community Development Block Grants, Federal Appropriations Programs, Kitsap Community Foundation, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Seattle Foundation/C. Keith Birkenfeld Trust, the Suquamish Foundation and United Way.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with United Way and sponsor this event,” said Samuel Askew, Hotel Director Port Madison Enterprises and Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort. “None of us can ignore the news about the troubled economy and the impact it is having on charitable giving and non-profits. This forum could not come at a better time and will provide invaluable information to those who need it the most.”
According to Dave Foote, executive director of United Way of Kitsap County, the Funders’ Forum is part of a broader United Way of Kitsap County effort to support and expand frontline services that make a difference in people’s lives.
“We want to make sure that our community has a strong and healthy non-profit sector,” he said. “To do this takes more than just dollars. It is important that organizations that rely on charitable contributions and grants have the knowledge and information to build capacity and remain sustainable.”
The event will help nonprofits connect with grant makers and is also part of an ongoing educational series hosted by United Way and the Kitsap Regional Library called “Lunch and Learn.”
This series is targeted to nonprofit organizations and provides information on topics such as marketing, budget planning, working with the media, securing corporate sponsorships and managing volunteers.
Additionally, four times a year through the “Lunch and Learn” there is an orientation session to the Cooperating Collection from the Foundation Center in New York and reference materials available to nonprofits and small businesses at the Kitsap Regional Library.
The Cooperating Collection provides access to an online database with over 100,000 funding opportunities for nonprofits.
The collection is housed at United Way and available during normal business hours.
The “Lunch and Learn” series is free of charge and held on the last Monday of the month.
For more information about the Kitsap Olympic Peninsulas’ Funders’ Forum (due to the Hood Canal Bridge closure, shuttle service will be available May 15 for those traveling from Jefferson and Clallam Counties at the water taxi dock in Lofall), the “Lunch and Learn” series or the Cooperating Collection, e-mail fundforum@unitedwaykitsap.org.
