$75,000 Impact Grant Awarded to Washington Free Methodist Church

Pictured (left to right) Jaylynn Allen, Foundations Childcare Ministry; Denise Walden, Daviess County Community Foundation Advisory Board member; Brittany Clark, Tim Stone, Kim Conder, and Adam Condor, Foundations Childcare Ministry; Laura Hazelman, Regional Director of Community Engagement and Impact for Daviess County Community Foundation; Amy Matteson, Cheryl May, Lesley Bledsoe, Daviess County Community Foundation Advisory Board members; Savannah Linenburg, Director of Development for Daviess County Community Foundation; and John Dudenhoeffer, Daviess County Community Foundation Advisory Board member.
(Washington, Indiana) A $75,000 Impact Grant was awarded to Washington Free Methodist Church, by the Daviess County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation Alliance. This grant will support capital improvements for the Foundations Childcare Ministry, including, kitchen remodel and the addition of essential facilities, including an onsite laundry, an extra sink, playground equipment, and a fence. The grant will also provide funding for the Brightwheel Childcare Management System, continuing education to meet Paths to Quality requirements, Ages to Stages developmental screening tool, toys and curricula to enhance child development, and lockers for staff and students.
The projects funded by the Impact Grant will allow the Church’s Childcare Ministry to expand the age group they care for to 0-5 years old and provide healthy, cooked meals for children participating in the program. With their expanded program and facility improvements, Washington Free Methodist Church will offer an additional option for local, quality childcare, giving Daviess County parents peace of mind as they seek to reenter the workforce or seek employment for the first time.
The Impact Grant Program is intended to fund projects or programs that will make a substantial difference in the social, cultural, economic, and/or recreational aspects of community life in Daviess County. Projects or programs should address the root causes of one or more of the county's greatest challenges, offering innovative or transformational solutions, and leading to lasting community change. In 2019, during a community forum held in Washington, the need to increase economic opportunities in Daviess County was identified as a priority issue. Supporting accessible, affordable, and quality childcare programs aligns with this priority issue by allowing working families to continue or reenter the workforce, improve employee productivity and attendance, and provide employment opportunities to childcare workers.
The Impact Grant was made possible by generous donors to the Community Good funds held with the Daviess County Community Foundation. Community Good funds are unrestricted, which allows the Foundation to award discretionary resources to help meet immediate local needs and invest in emerging community opportunities, for impactful grantmaking throughout Daviess County.










