Staff Reports
The Compass Society, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville, announced $50,000 in grants to nonprofit programs in Jackson County last Thursday.
The Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville is North Alabama’s regional community foundation and has a mission to mobilize generosity to improve quality of life across the region. Community foundations facilitate generosity to allow donors and nonprofit partners to address critical needs and build thriving communities. The Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville serves five counties – Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, and Morgan Counties – to “improve quality of life in our region.”
“We are proud to spotlight the investment that is being made in Jackson County and to come alongside organizations that are making a difference right here in this community,” said Melissa Thompson, CEO/President of Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville.
Created to “Map the Future,” the Compass Society of the Community Foundation implements collaborative, high-impact projects that have a significant and sustainable impact across the eight areas of our community’s quality of life.
“The success of our region depends on the success of all of the communities that make up this area,” City of Scottsboro Mayor Jim McCamy. “We are proud to partner with the Community Foundation to bring more resources to our community and continue to invest in our quality of life.”
During this grant cycle, the Compass Society awarded grants to two nonprofits serving Jackson County for initiatives that serve as a catalyst for the region’s future.
2023 Compass Society grants include:
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology | Genetic Explorers: $50,000.00
Genetic Explorers is a collaboration between HudsonAlpha and community organizations that provide after school services. This program is designed to expose children to high-quality, hands-on science lessons and help build a pathway to STEM success for underserved and underrepresented students. The pilot project will be launched in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama at sites in Jackson and Madison Counties.
- The Scottsboro Boys Museum | Outdoor Beautification and Interpretive Plaza Project: $25,000.00
The Scottsboro Boys Museum plans to add an outdoor interpretive space for the enjoyment and edification of visitors. The plaza includes a signature sculpture, reading posts, benches, as well as new landscaping. Since the museum is only open a total of eighteen hours per week, this project allows visitors to engage in new ways and gives the museum more flexibility in scheduling programs.
These two grants were made possible by the members of the Compass Society. As one of the Community Foundation’s Now & Later Funds, fifty percent of all Compass Society donations support current year grant-making to make an immediate impact while the remaining fifty percent of donations are added to the Compass Endowment, now over $1 million, to serve as a permanent source of funding to address community needs. This innovative approach to charitable giving serves as an investment into our community’s future and a commitment to the future generations that will inherit this region as their home.
About Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville
The Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville mobilizes generosity to improve the quality of life in our community. www.GiveHSV.org
