News & Event
These are unprecedented times. The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has dramatically changed our way of life. The economic fallout from COVID-19 is causing significant hardship for many Frederick County households, individuals, nonprofits, and businesses.
The Community Foundation wants all of our donors, scholars, grantees, volunteers, and community members to know that we are here for Frederick County during these challenging times.
We, along with our partners in the local funding community, recognize that COVID-19 is having a dramatic impact on nonprofits that serve our community. The Community Foundation wishes to be as helpful as possible during the coming weeks and months so that local nonprofit organizations can focus on the vital work of serving our citizens who need help during this time of critical need.
The Community Foundation is a partner in the COVID Collaborative, which consists of several organizations in the local funding community, to help Frederick County individuals and households impacted by COVID-19. We are working with United Way of Frederick County, Ausherman Family Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Helen J. Serini Foundation, Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County, and others in support of the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign to support nonprofits that directly help those adversely effected by the COVID-19 crisis. Thanks to Frederick County’s generous citizens, this community-wide campaign has already raised more than $150,000, in addition to more than $210,000 that will be granted directly from the funders listed above.
The COVID Collaborative is administering a common grant application to support local organizations impacted by COVID-19. Organizations can apply for emergency grants to support increases to demands in services and/or grants to support general operating expenses when revenues have been impacted by COVID-19-related closures. The Community Foundation is collecting applications and they will be evaluated for funding by the COVID Collaborative. Phase I applications will be accepted through noon on April 3, 2020, and applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
We want Frederick County nonprofits to know that we stand with you during these uncertain times. We are here to help our donors and community members take action on ideas for creating impact during this crisis. We understand that many community members are experiencing significant hardship. We do not want to add pressure to our already stretched nonprofits, and we are here to work with them in submitting grant applications and developing their cases for support. Our grantees’ solvency and staff are more important than reports and deadlines, so we are open to providing variances to grant agreements and timelines.
We understand this may only be the beginning of these challenging times, but we at the Community Foundation are in it for the long haul. Frederick County, we are in this together, and we are here for you.
During this unprecedented time of critical need, The Community Foundation of Frederick County is taking action to support local nonprofits that have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
To date, the Community Foundation has provided $125,000 in COVID emergency funding to help local nonprofits continue their critical services and programs for Frederick County residents experiencing difficulties because of the public health crisis. Food, assistance with rent and utilities, emergency shelters, and adaptations of facilities and programs to meet emerging needs are just a few of the things that these grants will support. Grantees are located in all areas of Frederick County – Emmitsburg, in the northern region, through Frederick City, to Brunswick, in the south.
Through quick action on the part of many Frederick County funders, the COVID Collaborative was formed in late March, at the start of this crisis in Maryland. The Collaborative includes the Community Foundation, United Way of Frederick County, Ausherman Family Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Helen J. Serini Foundation, Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County, The Kahlert Foundation, The William E. Cross Foundation, and The Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Mornings Fund, and others. These organizations and donors are working together to respond quickly and decisively to local nonprofits' needs.
As part of this campaign, the COVID Collaborative is administering a common grant application to support local organizations impacted by COVID-19. Organizations can apply for emergency grants to support increases to demands in services and/or grants to support general operating expenses when revenues have been impacted by COVID-19-related closures. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The application can be accessed at www.FrederickCountyGives.org/grants.
We do not want to add pressure to our already stretched nonprofits, and we are here to work with them in submitting grant applications and developing their cases for support.
These are challenging times. The Community Foundation wants our donors, scholars, grantees, volunteers, and community members to know that we are here for Frederick County. We will help our donors and community members act on ideas for creating impact during this crisis. We are strategic, nimble, and responsive in supporting the nonprofit community as this crisis unfolds. We’re in this for the long haul, and we are here for you.
Donate to the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign by visiting www.unitedwayfrederick.org/COVIDrelief. Donations can also be mailed to United Way of Frederick County, PO Box 307, Frederick, MD, 21705.
FREDERICK, MD – December 17, 2019: During its recent FY2020 impact grantmaking cycle, The Community Foundation of Frederick County provided $288,900.69 to 42 area nonprofits dedicated to improving lives and enhancing Frederick County.
The grants are designed to assist local nonprofits with projects that have meaningful and direct impact on the residents of Frederick County. As a leading source of grant funding in Frederick County, the Community Foundation supports the arts, historic preservation, agriculture, health and human services, education, cultural understanding, animal welfare, scholarships, elder care, youth programs, civic causes, and more.
Impact Grant Funding was provided from the following funds:
The Addie B. Null Health Care Fund:
$1,383.43 to Wells House @Gale Recovery for holistic therapies for men in recovery program.
The AG-C.I.T.E. Fund:
$1,585.69 to University of Maryland/Frederick County Extension Office for its Kids Growing with Grains program.
The Animal Care Field of Interest Fund:
$1270.10 to Days End Horse Rescue for off-the-track abused and neglected thoroughbreds care.
The Bar Association of Frederick County Justice for All Fund:
$2,000.00 to Friends of the Child Advocacy Center of Frederick County for storage unit funding.
$9,114.72 to Mental Health Association of Frederick County for CASA of Frederick County program.
$5,000.00 to Spanish Speaking of Community MD, Inc. for Critical Needs Partnership with Frederick County Public Schools.
The William E. Barnhart Memorial Fund:
$14,970.00 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, MD for home repairs for a cancer patient through its A Brush With Kindness program.
The Brunswick Area Fund:
$2,527.20 to Mission of Mercy to provide medical and dental care for uninsured and underinsured residents in Brunswick.
The Dola Burkentine Nonprofit Marketing Fund:
$514.41 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, MD for marketing support of its A Brush With Kindness program.
$573.66 to Frederick Career and Technology Center FFA Alumni for student safety training.
$2,500.00 to Platoon 22 to assist veterans with the cost of building trades certification.
The Mary Gregg Cornish Memorial Fund:
$1,181.00 to Historical Society of Frederick County, Inc. for its History in the Garden program.
$1,319.00 to The Flowers Over Frederick Fund in support of grants beautifying downtown Frederick.
The William E. Cross Special Needs Fund:
$3,730.24 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, MD to support home repairs for seniors through its A Brush With Kindness program.
The Dan Crozier Music Trust Fund:
$550.00 to Brunswick High School Drama Boosters for Brunswick High School’s 2020 spring musical.
$950.00 to Frederick County Public Schools for its elementary instrumental music library and $1,500.00 for pianos for Brunswick High School.
$1,000.00 to Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra for jazz music purchases.
$1,000.00 to Frederick Children’s Chorus for spring concert and summer camp sheet music purchases.
$1,400.00 to Historical Society of Frederick County, Inc. for its Heritage Frederick garden and streetscape enhancement project.
The Easels in Frederick Fund:
$1,000.00 to Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County for its art program.
The Educational Enrichment Field of Interest Fund:
$825.32 to Girls on the Run of Frederick County for its summer camp program.
The England Family Fund:
$652.37 to Frederick Rescue Mission for TransIT bus passes for Faith House clients.
The Enhancing Agriculture Field of Interest Fund:
$685.24 to University of Maryland/Frederick County Extension Office for its Kids Growing with Grains program.
The Environmental Preservation Field of Interest Fund:
$677.31 to Catoctin Forest Alliance for educational, hands-on learning center adaptations of recreational areas.
The Frederick Jaycees Fund:
$1,330.45 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County for supplies for its Brush with Kindness program.
The Frederick Keys Care Fund:
$1,500.00 to Advocates for Homeless Families for its after-school and summer activities programs for children who are homeless.
$1,500 to Blessings in a Backpack for weekend backpacks of food for Frederick County Public Schools Success Program for Special Needs Students.
$3,829.56 to Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley, Inc. for its Veterans of Youth Empowerment project.
$2,000.00 to Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP) for its New Horizons Academy Life Skills program.
$2,200.00 to YMCA of Frederick County for sensory tools its Kids Unlimited Program.
The Historic Preservation Field of Interest Fund:
$630.34 to The Claire McCardell Project Fund for its public art project to recognize fashion artist Claire McCardell.
The Sharon I. Hooper Fund for Children:
$3,135.52 to Blessings in a Backpack for weekend backpacks of food for Lincoln Elementary School students in need.
$1,000.00 to Frederick Rescue Mission for its summer enrichment camp.
$1,909.00 to The Delaplaine Arts Center for art kits for youth coping with traumatic situations and/or experiencing homelessness.
$5,000.00 to The Salvation Army for its Pathway of Hope program to break generational cycles of crisis and vulnerability.
$2,000.00 to Weinberg Center for the Arts for Families Need Fun program providing event tickets to catastrophically ill children and their families.
$2,500.00 to YMCA of Frederick County for its Kids Unlimited Music program.
The Human Services Field of Interest Fund:
$671.10 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County for its Brush with Kindness program.
The Job Training and Skills Development Field of Interest Fund:
$1,439.04 to Literacy Council of Frederick County, Inc. for employer-customized curriculum for workplace literacy classes.
$610.53 to African American Resources, Cultural Heritage Society (AARCH) of Frederick for its County Globe Preservation project.
The Charles V. and Louise D. Main Endowment Fund:
$9,219.00 to Calvary United Methodist Church for Calvary Weekday School student tuition support.
$542.23 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, MD for its A Brush With Kindness program.
The Parks Field of Interest Fund:
$782.81 to The Claire McCardell Project Fund for its public art project to recognize fashion artist Claire McCardell.
The Performing Arts Field of Interest Fund:
$687.01 to City Youth Matrix to support extra-curricular activities in the performing arts.
The Persons with Disabilities Field of Interest Fund:
$1,035.71 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, MD to support home repair and modifications for persons with disabilities through its A Brush With Kindness program.
The John L. and Lucille H. Ponton Charitable Fund:
$50,000.00 to Children’s Hospital Foundation to provide patient families resources and lodging assistance.
$37,529.50 to Hospice of Frederick County for Camp Jamie.
$4,174.21 to Frederick County Infants and Toddlers Program for financial support to families with children experiencing catastrophic medical issues.
$3,000.00 to Frederick Rescue Mission for summer enrichment camp.
$2,500.00 to Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP) for its New Horizons Academy life skills program.
$1,279.57 to Girls on the Run of Frederick County for its summer camp program.
The Pritchett Family Foundation Fund: $1,660.00 to City Youth Matrix to provide scholarships to children with financial need for extra-curricular activities.
$601.07 to Girls on the Run of Frederick County for its summer camp program.
$1,000.00 to Mission of Mercy, Inc. for medical and dental care and support for patients with substance use disorder.
$1,256.41 to Wells House @ Gale Recovery for men in recovery to receive music therapy.
$500.00 to Maryland Food Bank for its senior pantry program.
The Secret Santa Fund:
$1,317.91 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, MD to support home repairs for seniors through its A Brush With Kindness program.
The Transportation Field of Interest Fund:
$950.94 to Centro Hispano de Frederick to support its Golden Years program van rental.
The Mildred B. Trevvett Music Education Fund:
$922.07 to The Frederick Children’s Chorus for music educator professional development.
$726.86 The Claire McCardell Project Fund for its public art project to recognize fashion artist Claire McCardell.
$10,613.45 to Frederick County Infants and Toddlers Program for financial support to families with children experiencing catastrophic medical issues.
$1,192.46 to City Youth Matrix to support extra-curricular activities for children in foster care.
$500.00 to Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership for its New Horizons Academy life skills program.
$3,927.00 to Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County for its Brush with Kindness program.
Community Foundation unrestricted funds provided the following grants:
$6,541.66 to Blessings in a Backpack for Pre-K student weekend food packages to students of low-income families at Lincoln Elementary School.
$1,000.00 to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry for hunger relief in Frederick County.
$1,000.00 to Frederick Rescue Mission for kitchen supplies.
$5,000.00 to Heartly House for client transportation, security deposits, rental assistance, and more for clients.
$15,000.00 to The Housing Authority of the City of Frederick for Young Men Rising program.
$3,500.00 to Lions Club of Frederick for eye care assistance to low-income individuals.
$1,700.00 to Literacy Council of Frederick County, Inc. for volunteer work space improvements.
$4,000.00 to Maryland Food Bank for senior pantry program.
$10,000.00 to Mental Health Association of Frederick County for crisis services support.
$10,000.00 to Mission of Mercy for medications for those who are uninsured and under-insured.
$6,590.00 to The Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs to purchase shelter beds.
You’ve heard us talk about Janis Miller Wertheimer whose endowment fund makes it possible for the Community Foundation to honor some of Frederick County’s unsung heroes each fall with The Wertheimer Fellow for Excellence in Volunteerism Awards and The Wertheimer Youth in Action Award. Because of her volunteerism and extensive involvement in numerous organizations during her lifetime, the 2002/2003 board of trustees created the opportunity to honor others who give back to Frederick County through sweat equity. In this way, we honor Mrs. Wertheimer annually, too.
But wait, there’s more. Mrs. Wertheimer created two more funds in the early 2000s that aren’t as well known because of the annual publicity given to the endowment fund and Wertheimer honorees. These two funds have had, to date, combined community grant impact exceeding $1.1 million!
The Philip and Janis Miller Wertheimer Fund was created through Mrs. Wertheimer’s estate and is endowed, meaning the money the fund was started with will never be spent, thus ensuring grants are given annually from the fund forever. Mrs. Wertheimer designated six local nonprofits to receive annual grants from the fund: Frederick Memorial Hospital, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Historical Society of Frederick County, National Lutheran Home, YMCA of Frederick County, and Penn Laurel Girl Scout Council (now the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital). Before her death in 2001, Mrs. Wertheimer established The Philip and Janis Wertheimer Fund for the Salvation Army/Frederick Corps to support its activities and programs.
Why would Mrs. Wertheimer want to support these organizations after her passing, and why did she work with the Community Foundation to make this happen? Since she was well-known for her volunteer work, it can be assumed that she understood how grant monies are critical to nonprofit programs and services. But a more substantial reason was behind her motivation: the desire to give back to a community that had provided so much to her and her husband, Philip.
Born, raised, and schooled in Frederick County, including an English degree from Hood College in 1929, she married Philip Wertheimer, and they opened Nicodemus and Wertheimer, a successful insurance and real estate business in Frederick, where she served as vice-president. Her community involvement included the Hood College Board of Associates, Hood College Alumnae Association, Frederick Woman’s Civic Club, Frederick Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, Historical Society of Frederick County, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, Reserve Officer’s Auxiliary, and Frederick Art Club. Also, she was a lifelong member of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick.
In life, Mrs. Wertheimer gave back and benefitted others through her volunteer work, and in death, she continues to give back through her funds. Her true legacy, however, is not the grant support. It is her true love of Frederick County, shown by example and followed by her generosity.
FREDERICK, MD – July 11, 2019: Ausherman Family Trust has shown its support for The Community Foundation of Frederick County’s Forever Frederick County Campaign with a $250,000 gift.
The Forever Frederick County Campaign was announced in June 2019 as a major fundraising effort by the Community Foundation. With a goal of $20 million, the endowed funds created will provide grants that will support the greatest needs in Frederick County, now and in the future.
Ausherman Family Trust is well known within Frederick County for its support of programs and projects that enhance and help build a thriving community. “This campaign gift is significant and generous, and we are very grateful to Ausherman Family Trust’s board of trustees for their support,” said Gordon Cooley, Community Foundation trustee, and Forever Frederick County Campaign chairman. “It sets an inspiring tone as we work towards meeting our campaign goal.”
To date, the Community Foundation has commissioned two independent needs assessment studies. These studies and similar ones in the future will assist its board of trustees in determining where grants are most needed. The 2018 Frederick County Human Needs Assessment provided data that identified the areas of substance use disorder, the aging population, and supporting families with children as current greatest needs. As needs change over time, the Community Foundation will be prepared to assist.
For more information about the Forever Frederick County Campaign, visit www.ForeverFrederickCounty.org. Information about the 2018 Frederick County Human Needs Assessment study can be found at www.FrederickCountyGives.org/NeedsReport.
Spring is here, and no one knows that better than Frederick County farmers. There’s much to do to prepare for crop planting, orchard pruning, spring births of animals, equipment repairs, and much more. While it may not seem so, Frederick County is still 55 percent agricultural with 1,300 farms and more than 181,500 acres of farmland.
Even with this amount of farmland, many children who live here aren’t exposed to farming and agriculture. They don’t know where their food originates, or how fruit and vegetables are grown. They aren’t aware of the economic value that agriculture provides within the county or the environmental issues that agricultural professionals face.
Enter Frank and Bess Gladhill. Owners of a farm located in Monrovia since 1950, they are well-known in Frederick County agricultural circles not only as successful farmers but as people who have given back to the community in countless ways. They wanted children to learn about agriculture and farming, so in 1998, they established The Franklin and Bess Gladhill Fund for Agriculture Education specifically to provide agriculture-related opportunities to students attending Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS). The grants are part of an FCPS program called “Gifts for Education,” and what a gift this has been. More than $92,000 has helped bring a myriad of programs and benefits to students at all age levels.
Grants from the fund have allowed hundreds of children and youth to learn and experience what agriculture means. Pre-K students have enjoyed field trips to working farms, and through the “Growing Green with Worms” program, learned about composting. Elementary students from nearly every school in the county have visited a tree farm to learn about the interdependence of agriculture and economics, had access to the Agriculture in the Classroom Mobile Lab, the Mobile Agriscience Lab, and the Agricultural Products Lab. Other programs have included basic horse husbandry, creating a butterfly garden by researching the appropriate soil, plants and butterflies, hydroponics, and horticulture and landscape training. Several high schools benefitted from grants supporting their Future Farmer of America Clubs, helping them travel to national conventions and competitions.
Through their fund, Frank (now deceased) and Bess have truly given a gift of education. They have made a big difference in the lives of children and youth and promoted agriculture that is still so much a critical and integral part of our lives in Frederick County. Many children are going to remember their visit to a farm throughout their entire life. Some might even be inspired to have a career in or related to agriculture. We thank them for their vision and generosity.
Among the people qualified to speak to the difference The Community Foundation of Frederick County has made to this community are James and Tamara Shoemaker, of Frederick.
James, a local attorney whose services include estate planning and administration, and Tamara, a licensed psychologist, made their first gift to the Community Foundation’s Helen Smith Scholarship Fund for Children and the Arts in 1997. Since then, they have contributed generously. In 2009, James began a six-year term on the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees, serving as Chairman from 2013-2014. In 2018, they created The James R. and Tamara L. Shoemaker Charitable Fund to provide grants to Frederick County nonprofits that provide critical services for people and to organizations that support animal well-being.
“During my service, I had a unique opportunity to see what a powerful catalyst for change The Community Foundation of Frederick County is,” said James.
Last year, the Shoemakers made a gift to Forever Frederick County, the Community Foundation’s flexible and unrestricted endowment fund that will provide strategic grants based on this community’s most pressing needs as they emerge—now, and in the future. The current needs were determined by the 2018 Human Needs Assessment, and in the future, the results of similar studies will direct grant-making.
“I think Forever Frederick County is an important addition to the funds managed at the Community Foundation,” said James. “We already have funds that are targeted to the areas that have been identified through our Needs Assessments, but we have learned that not every need can be anticipated or planned for. It’s impossible to predict what our community’s greatest needs will be in the future-- yet being prepared to respond quickly to these will be key to managing and remediating them.”
Giving an organization this type of discretion takes trust, says James, but he believes the Community Foundation’s track record of making careful and prudent decisions about where, when, and how to use the proceeds of any unrestricted gifts speaks for itself.
“I’ve been involved with other charitable organizations over the years, both locally and outside of the area,” he says. “I have never seen an organization run as efficiently or as effectively as The Community Foundation of Frederick County. The Trustees go to great lengths to be sure the investments are secure and adequately diversified. There is a superb staff who recruit and manage exceptionally well-trained volunteers who review more than 1,200 scholarship applications every year. The procedure for awarding grants is meticulous and thorough. Every aspect of the organization is exceedingly well run.”
“Whether you want to contribute now or later through your estate,” he concludes, “the Community Foundation can help guide you in creating a meaningful, lasting impact through a legacy that is uniquely yours.”
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