Programs
Our Programs
The Foundation values its role as a catalyst, convener, and collaborator, bringing other funders and
nonprofits together around vital issues and adding key support to make positive change possible.
We center our work around what we know about community needs.
Building Dynamic Boards of Directors
Required training for board members of nonprofit organizations seeking grants from HCCF. This program will be offered four times in 2025, there is no cost to participants upon completing the training.
Dictionary Project
Designed to reach students as they transition from learning to read, to reading to learn, the Dictionary Project provides a free copy of “Webster’s Dictionary for Students: Special Encyclopedic Edition” to third-grade students. In 2024, HCCF delivered 510 dictionaries, and since joining the program in 2008, HCCF has proudly distributed 8,656 free copies to every third-grade student in the county.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Encourages a love of reading by providing preschool children a free age-appropriate book in the mail each month up until their fifth birthday. HCCF began sponsoring this program for Harrison County children in 2008 and since then has distributed over 313,000 books. Approximately 1,881 participants received a book as part of DPIL in 2024, with over 415 new sign-ups.
Fundraisers Group
The Fundraisers Group is free and open to any nonprofit organization serving Harrison County. Meetings are held on at HCCF on the first Wednesday of every other month at noon. Topics covered have included marketing, charitable gaming, nonprofit accounting, volunteer management, and more.
Grants
All nonprofit agencies providing services to residents of Harrison County are eligible to apply. HCCF will only allow a grant application from a 501c entity that has been in business a minimum of two years from the date of their most recent IRS Letter of Determination. Other eligibility requirements apply. In 2024, HCCF awarded $4,705,142 in grants to nonprofits in Harrison County.
Indiana First Quality of Life Economic Impact Analysis
Indiana First READI region partnered with the Harrison County Community Foundation and the Community Foundation Alliance to provide an opportunity to assess Essential Services and Quality of Life throughout a five-county region including Harrison, Knox, Perry, Pike, and Spencer. With input from community leaders and a public survey, Thomas P. Miller and Associates (TPMA) consultants compiled the Indiana First Quality of Life Economic Impact Analysis Report which analyzes needs, assets, and potential advantages for each of these counties in the Indiana First READI Region.
Jump Start Preschool Program
Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) started the Jump Start pre-K pilot program in 2013. The pilot occurred on a small scale with a handful of providers and a small pool of students. In 2024, HCCF provided $88,767 in support for preschool services. Since its inception in 2014-2015, Jump Start has funded 736 students through May 2024, and HCCF has funded $3,406,063 for preschool services. To be eligible for Jump Start, applicants must meet certain requirements; however, if there is a change in circumstances, such as a decrease in income, families can reapply.
Scholarships
Since 1998, the Harrison County Community Foundation has provided funds each spring to each of the high schools for non-renewable scholarships. Since 1997, HCCF has awarded just over $14 million in total scholarships. Our Adult scholarships total is $462,000. In 2024 alone, HCCF awarded $681,500 in scholarships to high school seniors in Harrison County.
Step Ahead Council
The Step Ahead Council is a monthly gathering of representatives from nonprofits in or serving Harrison County. The free meeting is offered on the third Thursday at noon, with a different nonprofit highlighted to share information and find ways to collaborate. In 2024, 61 representatives from 43 agencies participated in Step Ahead throughout the year. Presenters at monthly meetings included: Boys & Girls Club of Harrison County, Family Health Centers of Southern Indiana, Fuller Center for Housing, Harrison County Arts, Harrison County Public Library, Harrison County Veterans Service Office, On My Way Pre-K, Open Door Youth Services, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Town Planning Initiative
In its community leadership role, the Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) coordinated the Town Planning Initiative, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. through their GIFT VII (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) initiative, along with additional funds from HCCF. The Town Planning Initiative provided the opportunity for all ten incorporated towns to create or update a Comprehensive Plan and an Asset Management Plan. HCCF saw this as an opportunity to provide towns with the resources and support to plan for the future of their towns. This planning took place from 2021 – 2024. To see each town’s Comprehensive Plan and Big Ideas, click here.
Youth Philanthropy Council
An opportunity for teens to learn about philanthropy and nonprofits as well as make grant recommendations on YPC grants. HCCF partners with Leadership Harrison County (LHC) for YPC to be a part of the LHC Youth Program, involving young leaders from all Harrison County High Schools. In 2025, YPC awarded Corydon Central Vanguard $2,000 for new percussion equipment, Lanesville High School $1,500 for 2025 After Prom, North Harrison High School $600 for College and Career Exploration Trips and Esports team, and South Central Community School Corporation $567 for garden materials needed for the Tower Garden.