The Community Foundation for Greater Rome has awarded its third cycle of grants from the Community Impact Fund to the Free Clinic of Rome, Elevation House, Living Proof Recovery, Coosa River Basin Initiative, and Communities in Schools. Other funds at the Community Foundation have awarded additional grants to Living Proof Recovery, the Davies Homeless Shelter and Restoration Rome.
“We represent a collection of funds,” said Joel Snider, Executive Director of the Community Foundation. “After evaluations by the review committee, our board awarded grants from the Community Impact Fund. After that process, two of our other fund advisors provided additional funding.”
“We received twenty-two proposals, totaling over $300,000 of requests,” said Snider. “From all our sources, we will give away $58,000 in grants.”
Free Clinic and Elevation House 
The Foundation’s board awarded $3000 to the Free Clinic of Rome for equipment that expands treatment of dental patients. Elevation House receives $10,000 to help fund its new Clubhouse for individuals suffering with mental illnesses. The NAMI chapter of Rome will match this grant.
Living Proof, CRBI, and Communities in Schools
Living Proof Recovery will use its $8,500 grant to furnish its “Next Door” initiative, a reentry housing program for women in recovery. Two thousand dollars goes to Coosa River Basin Initiative for a summer program that monitors bacteria in local rivers. The program will use volunteers and students from the Bonner Scholar program at Berry College. Communities in Schools will receive $1,000 to increase the number of male participants in its mentor program.
Restoration Rome and William s. Davies Shelter
Restoration Rome will use its $10,000 from another fund to help launch its new visitation program for families in the foster care system. The Community Foundation gave its first-ever Community Impact Grant to Restoration Rome in 2016.
An anonymous donor funded an $18,000 proposal from the Davies Homeless Shelter to create a mobile distribution system of fresh vegetables in sections of town labeled as “food desert.” Snider said, “It is a very creative proposal and its partnership with South Rome Redevelopment Corporation, and the City of Rome was a model of what many donors look for.” Living Proof will receive an additional $4,000 from another fund, for its Next Door project. 
“We left many excellent requests on the table,” said Snider. “The quality goes up each year. It gets more difficult to choose who receives the grants.”
All checks were awarded December 10 at a presentation event hosted by the Community Foundation for the grant recipients.