HCCF Awards Grant for New School Safety System
Corydon, Ind. (June 13, 2025) – The Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) recently took a major step in enhancing student safety. Recognizing the importance of school safety and security, the Foundation’s Board of Directors approved a $331,700 grant that will cover the installation of a new school safety system and the first year of subscription monitoring for the 17 schools in Harrison County. The new safety system will cover all schools in the Lanesville, North Harrison, and South Harrison Community School Corporations, as well as Saint John’s Lutheran School, Saint Joseph Catholic School, and the Harrison County Alternative Education Center.
“The Foundation is proud to provide significant grant funding to show our support for this important project. This is a community where we treasure our children, value teachers and school staff, and put a priority on their safety and security,” shared HCCF President & CEO, Julie Moorman.
Harrison County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) applied for grant funding and spearheaded this initiative in their role. EMA evaluated several vendors and types of crisis alerting systems, ultimately selecting the Centegix Safety Platform as the best option. The system provides a wearable badge for school staff members, allowing them to alert other staff members of student behavioral issues, medical emergencies, weather alerts, and full campus lockdowns due to security issues. Centegix provides mapping technology for each school’s floor plan, making it accessible for emergency responders to optimize their response time in crises.
EMA Director, Mike Kurz, stated, “EMA is proud to coordinate this project and is appreciative of the grant funding from the Foundation. EMA is uniquely positioned to work in partnership with the schools and first responders on the new school safety system. We have a great group of people coming together to continue developing good plans, policies, and safety equipment to protect the students, staff, and visitors in all the schools of our county. The worst thing anyone could do regarding safety...is nothing. These actions exemplify the commitment and a general sense of care for the students in our community.”
The grant funding from HCCF for this project includes $20,000 from the Kenton and Phyllis Turner Children’s Endowment Fund, $1,000 from the Health and Safety Field of Interest Fund, and $50,000 from Builder’s Funds. Builder’s Funds are endowment funds not designated for a specific purpose, which allow the HCCF Board of Directors to approve funds for the most pressing community needs as they arise, alongside other grant funding. Currently, a special 3:1 match is in place for donations to Builder’s Funds with a 2:1 match provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. and a 1:1 match by the Foundation. This special match lasts until December 31, 2025, or until matching funds are exhausted.
For more information on Builder’s Funds, visit hccfindiana.org/buildersfunds or contact Michelle Dayvault, Director of Development, at michelled@hccfindiana.org.
Nonprofits serving Harrison County can learn more about eligibility requirements and apply for grants at hccfindiana.org/grants. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. For questions about the grant application process, contact Anna Curts, Grants Manager, at annac@hccfindiana.org.