Our Philanthropy Committee is made up of volunteers who review all grant requests from grantees and who arrange visits with management of each applicant. Financial Analysts support this review with a detailed financial analysis of each application. All of our grants are made to 501 (c)(3) charities providing needed services in Indian River County. During the last season, the GHCOP Board approved 29 grants totaling $405,898 and our Virtual Evening of Giving program in November generated $30,125 for gifts to 14 local charities.
The county has 5 designated pockets of poverty and we focus, though not exclusively, on the Gifford community.
Requests for Letters of Intent are sent out in the summer, and invitations to apply for a grant are sent out in October, with grant applications due back in November. Our site teams meet with each applicant by mid-February and our Board meets in the Spring to decide on all grant recommendations from the Philanthropy Committee. Grant Agreements and checks are typically given to the approved agencies in late March and early April.