The Kenai Peninsula Foundation, on a night of giving from the Kenai Peninsula Foundation to the Kenai Peninsula community, received a gift of $1.5 million from the Kenai Peninsula Community Care Center at the 2023 KPR Grants Award’s Night on Thursday, May 11th.
According to Tim Navarre, Kenai Peninsula Foundation Chair, the donation from the KPCCC more than doubles the KPF’s reserves and will allow for yearly grants to be awarded in excess of $100,000.
“It was a donation of a $1.5 million into our endowment, a half million into our operating endowment, and $1,000,000 into our gift-giving endowment. That means we only spend the interest after inflation proofing every year. Currently, we’re able to give about 30,000 a year out in grants. We’re now in the neighborhood of $100,000 a year in grants. It was a very nice donation. It was made by the Kenai Peninsula Care Center. That’s the nonprofit group that operated on the Kenai for 50 years. They are starting to close-out and they had some assets and they wanted to make sure that the community still benefited from their involvement over the last 50 years into perpetuity. And that’s why they gave it to the Kenai Peninsula Foundation to put it to work in the community. When they (KPF) started the foundation they thought how we ever going to get to $1,000,000 we jumped that and jumped $2 million. So we’re over $2 million now; we’re $2.2 million in our fund.”
The Kenai Peninsula Community Care Center provided residential services for adolescents dealing with behaviorally and emotionally issues with a goal of promoting positive family living in our community through treatment, shelter and education.
The Kenai Peninsula Foundation’s goal is to support projects that enhance the quality of life for central Kenai Peninsula area residents, addressing immediate needs while working toward long-term improvements. The Kenai Peninsula Foundation use proceeds from their growing permanent endowment to award yearly grants to support charitable organizations and programs in the central Kenai Peninsula area. Grants support a broad range of community needs, including health and wellness, education, the great outdoors, arts and culture, and community development.
2023 KFP Grant Recipients include:
Hospice of the Central Peninsula
Project Name: Hospice of the Central Peninsula Summer Intern
Greater Kenai/Soldotna Libraries
Project name: Imagination Library
Cooper Landing Community Club
Project Name: Audio Visual Equipment for integrated virtual and in person meetings
Tsalteshi Trails Association
Project Name: Trail Counters
Pickle Hill Public Broadcasting, Inc. (KDLL)
Project Name: KDLL Internship Program 2023
Earlier in 2023, the Boy & Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula acquired the physical structures which housed the KPCCC on South Spruce Street in Kenai and are working toward developing the property into the “forever home” of the Kenai Peninsula Boys and Girls Club.
For more information on the Kenai Peninsula Foundation services and grant availability go to the website at kenaipeninsulafoundation.org.
