For the 12th time, Starkville-Oktibbeha Achieving Results announced the opening of its annual grants cycle last Friday.
"SOAR is a community foundation and these grants come out of our endowment each year," said Jan Eastman, executive director.
Grant applications can be attained by emailing Eastman at jeastman1@bellsouth.net and completed applications must be emailed back to Eastman or printed out and mailed to SOAR: P.O. Box 80010, Starkville MS, 39760. The deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 15. Eastman emphasized that no applications will be accepted after the deadline.
SOAR awards grants to non-profit, tax-exempt organizations in Okitbbeha County. The organization focuses on three priorities: civic and cultural; education and human development; and health and human services for this year, according to Eastman.
A total of $16,000 will be available. Eastman said that there is no maximum on how much applicants can apply for. Requests for start-up businesses, improvements or projects to expand programs will be considered.
"Most applicants apply for anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 and we've given grants for about anything you can think of," Eastman said.
All applicants have a chance at being awarded a grant.
"We look at the application at what it's for, how it fits into our goals," Eastman said. "We sometimes look at the application and we can sometimes fund a partial amount as well. We try to be very fair and objective, but we do have a limited grant pool."
Past grant recipients include Friends of the Starkville Public Library, Starkville Area Arts Council, CARE Ministries of Starkville, and OSERVS.
SOAR is an affiliate of the CREATE Foundation, based in Tupelo, but is governed by a local board of directors. Since 2005, SOAR has awarded $122,816 in grants to 27 organizations and projects in Starkville and Oktibbeha County.
The organization is funded solely through donations. This year's endowment is $350,000, according to Eastman.
"The larger we grow our endowment fund, the more we can give," Eastman said. "We spend our grant money at 4 percent each year."
According to a news release, gifts to SOAR can be made in cash, stocks, retirement assets, real estate, personal property, insurance, charitable trusts and bequests in wills.
For the first time, SOAR awarded their teacher of distinction awards at the Greater Starkville Partnership's award banquet in January.
For more information, contact Eastman at 662-534-3230.