With an eye to the future health of the Upper Susitna Valley communities, the Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is helping Jessica Stevens Community Foundation (JSCF) strike a beautiful balance of sustainability and impact.
In November 2024, Jessica Stevens Community Foundation received a $25,000 Target Wellness Grant from MSHF to maintain long term financial sustainability while making a stronger impact on the lives of our neighbors in the Upper Susitna Valley thanks to bolstered grant funds.
Sustainability. Consistent with historical grant requests, $15,000 of the grant funding was invested in JSCF’s Operating Endowment, an endowed account that now approaches the $400,000 level. Annual interest income from this Operating Endowment helps us achieve the following:
- Continued growth in leadership support provided to local non-profits, including professional training and informal networking opportunities
- Provides JSCF staff and volunteer board training opportunities
- Ensures funding for JSCF staff compensation as operational needs grow
- Funds community education and outreach
- Enables meaningful donor cultivation events.
Impact. The remaining $10,000 of the 2024 Target Wellness Grant will be invested in our JSCF General Grantmaking Endowment, which neared $830,000 at the close of 2024. After 8 years of focus on achieving a sustainable level of operations, the JSCF Advisory Board is shifting gears with an eye toward steadily expanding our grantmaking capacity. We not only aim to increase the baseline JSCF Healthy Communities grant award amounts, but to also develop several new grant opportunities including a Youth grant cycle, as well as provide increasing sponsorships and support of local events and programs that make the Upper Susitna Valley a healthy and happy place to call home.
Thank you, MatSu Health Foundation, for your continued support and trust in JSCF!