By the end of the semester, West Virginia University College of Business and Economics students will have given out $100,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations in Monongalia and Preston counties.

For the fourth year, students in professor Gerald Blakelys Corporate Citizenship Project class will decide who gets a share of $25,000, which is provided by alumni of the college.

By the end of this class, the students will have learned how corporate philanthropists decide which charitable nonprofit organizations are good candidates for donations and how to distribute thousands of real dollars,Blakely said.

Future business owners and employees need to know the role of private, nonprofit organizations in meeting community needs,he added.

The class solicits proposals for projects that would benefit the community, develops criteria for judging them and then selects the winners from among dozens of proposals.

Last year, grants went to: HOBY Club-WVU Chapter, $1,000 to support a leadership workshop; Stepping Stones, $1,500 to support extreme sports activities; The Living Room, $2,300 to support building/construction of a kitchenette; Christian Help, $1,000 to support purchase of a computer; Mylan Park, $2,500 to support purchase of kitchen equipment; Make-A-Wish, $3,500 to support cost of one Wish; Scotts Run Settlement House, $1,500 to support art education and celebrations; Rock Forge Neighborhood House, $4,500 to support Before/After School project; CASA for Kids, $900 to support purchase of presents; Morgantown Adult Learning Center, $2,500 to support GED program; Big Brothers/Big Sisters, $1,000 to support program expenses; and Rape and Domestic Violence, $2,800 to support playground construction.

Awards made by the class to 501�3 not-for-profit organizations will generally range from $1,000 to $5,000 and go to organizations whose activities benefit the citizens of Monongalia or Preston counties.

The deadline for receipt of grant applications is noon Monday, Nov. 8. Grant applications may be delivered to the Deans Office, College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University; or mailed to Department of Management and Industrial Relations, ATTN : Corporate Citizenship Project, College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 -6025.

Grant applications should consist of no more than five typed pages plus a project budget, latest audited financial statements or tax return, and no more than three letters of support.

In the application, please address the following criteria:

  • Description of type of project/nature of activity to include amount requested
  • Description of organization to include services, employees, and volunteer support
  • Time frame of project (e.g., starting date, completion date)
  • Significance of grant on funding needs (e.g., percent of total project funding applied for, total project costs, etc.).
  • Impact of project (e.g., number of people served, impact on quality of life, period of project benefit).
  • Evidence of applicant track record, accomplishments, successes (annual report, etc.).
  • For previous recipients of grants from this project, please include a brief description of how the funds were used and the project impact.

For more information, send an e-mail to gblakely@wvu.edu or call 293-7932.