Local projects supporting the homeless, disadvantaged youth and the arts were among those who picked to receive grants from the Columbia Foundation.

The foundation this year awarded $85,000 in project grants to 20 local charitable organizations, according to a June 3 announcement. About 46 organizations submitted requests for about $580,000 in funding, and those requests were narrowed down over several months.

Among the projects given money were the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, which runs a homeless resource center on Route 1; the Salvation Army Howard County Service Center, which sends disadvantaged youth to summer camp; and, the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, which provides scholarship money to Howard County students to perform with a children’s chorus.

“Overall, the requests have increased in the past year, year-and-a-half,” said Priscilla Reaver, program officer for the Columbia Foundation. “It’s a difficult process because the needs are rising in our community.”

About $15,000 less was awarded in project grants this year compared to 2008, according to the foundation Web site. That drop in funding, Reaver said, is due in part to the foundation’s endowments generating less interest and in part to a decision to shift more money to operational grants.

The Columbia Foundation distributes grants twice a year. It awards operational grants, which can be used for general purposes, in the fall and project grants, which are for specific programs, in the spring.

Started in 1969, the foundation has awarded more than $10 million in grants to non-profit organizations over its lifetime. Grants are paid for through interest on the foundation’s endowments and additional private contributions.

Several organizations received project money for the first time this year, including the Showtime Singers, a 50-member chorus that meets in Ellicott City. The chorus, now in its sixth year, received $1,000 to put on two major concerts for senior citizens.

Although members pay monthly dues, the money is not enough to cover the expense of hiring the three-piece band that plays at these special concerts, said Cathy Johnson, the group’s musical director.

“There’s no way we could afford it,” she said.

The shows for seniors typically last more than an hour and include old standards and Broadway classics, she said.

“It’s very fulfilling,” she said. “Our audiences have been very encouraging to us.”

A 15-member committee reads and reviews all grant applications to the Columbia Foundation, in some cases conducting site visits and making phone calls to investigate non-profit requests. Organizations that receive grants are required to report back to the foundation about whether the programs were successful, Reaver said.

Foundation grants awarded

Best Buddies Maryland
Purpose: Pairs students with intellectual disabilities with non-disabled students to build relationships
Amount: $8,000

Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center
Purpose: Money goes toward Route 1 Day Resource Center, a drop-in location for the chronically homeless
Amount: $10,000

The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University
Purpose: Scholarships for Howard County students to participate in the Peabody Children’s Chorus of Peabody Preparatory
Amount: $2,500

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
Purpose: The “Free Shakespeare for Kids” program allows children under 18 to attend a free summer production
Amount: $2,500

Courtesy on the Road
Purpose: Supports incentive-based training to encourage safe driving by teenagers
Amount: $2,000

Friends of the Howard County Library
Purpose: Funding for “Project Literacy,” a summer program for adult learners
Amount: $2,000

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