Chico, California (April 2, 2009) –  Five local nonprofit organizations serving older adults will each receive a portion of $20,000 in grant funds from the Emil and Leonora Stiefvater Grant Program, through North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF). This grant program is a three year initiative to begin and/or expand endowment building programs among nonprofit organizations serving older adults in Butte, Glenn, Tehama and Colusa Counties.

Participating organizations are PASSAGES, providing multiple services throughout the region, the Peg Taylor Center, an adult day program in Chico serving Butte, Glenn and Tehama Counties, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Tehama County, the Feather River Senior Citizens Center in Oroville, and the Colusa Senior  Meals Program. Each is eligible to receive matching funds that will supplement donations received for endowment funds designated for each organization.

In addition to grant funds that will match donations to their endowment funds, participants receive in-depth training in Planned Giving, including estate planning, wills and bequests, charitable trusts, gifts of stocks and real estate, and donor development. 

This program is possible through an endowment established by the family of Emil and Leonora Steifvater at North Valley Community Foundation. The purpose of this fund is to enhance the lives of older adults in our region.

“These grants are consistent with our efforts to encourage nonprofits to create endowment funds,” states NVCF CEO Alexa Valavanis. “The current economic situation is leaving many nonprofits with funding shortfalls, especially if they rely upon grants or the government for operating income. Endowment funds can provide a steady source of income that is much less subject to the fluctuations that are normal for grants or government funds.”

“We are pleased that the Steifvater family is directing these grants to strengthen organizations serving older adults and building long term sustainability,” says Valavanis. “We certainly know that the demand for these services will be increasing as our population of older adults is increasing.”

NVCF is a non-profit, philanthropic organization that builds financial resources to meet community needs through grants and programs primarily for residents in the Butte, Colusa, Glenn and Tehama counties.  With net assets of over $5 million, NVCF provides financial and administrative services to donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations with the goal of enriching the quality of life of community members. Since 1986, over 250 individuals, families, businesses, and community groups have established funds at the Foundation. 

North Valley Community Foundation is one of approximately 750 community foundations throughout the United States that provides similar services. Each is dedicated to increasing philanthropy and improving and enriching the lives of community members in a specific geographic area.

The NVCF office is open Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm and by appointments on the weekends. NVCF is located at 3120 Cohasset Rd., Suite 8 in Chico, California. For more information visit www.nvcf.org or call (530) 891-1150.