5 groups in contention for grant

Five lucky philanthropic organizations will find out today if they have been awarded a new grant offered by the IU Student Foundation.\nThe Metz Grant offers a share of $25,000 to five registered philanthropic organizations on campus. However, the purpose of the new grant is the actual application process.\n“Our objective for the grant is to have students understand how to spend money wisely,” IU Foundation President Curt Simic said. “As you go out to the world and become leaders, you will know how to use the resources that you’ve got and figure out how best to apply those to the community you live in.”\nIUSF Director Jenny Bruffey, Assistant Director Matthew Ewing, two students and two alumni board members make up the panel that judges applicants’ grant proposals and presentations. The board received 21 applications in its initial semester and cut the field down to the 11 groups that will present to the panel today.\nEach group must register under one of five separate categories: IU campus diversity or a local, state, national or international focus. All five groups are represented by at least one of the 11 chosen applicants. Organizations can apply for up to $5,000 from the grant, but all 11 groups could get a share of the $25,000 if the five winning applicants do not request the full amount.\n“The grant was designed by students for students,” Ewing said. “We are trying to provide an avenue for students to learn about the grant process from both the giving and receiving side.”\nIU alumnus Dr. Arthur R. Metz spread his philanthropy to IU by creating the Metz Foundation, devoted to assisting medical students. That act led to multiple scholarships offered in other majors, new professional endowments and the creation of the bell tower on North Jordan Avenue that bares Metz’s name.\nWhen the Metz Foundation was dissolved, the Arthur R. Metz Philanthropic Opportunity Fund emerged in its place, with $1 million allotted to the Metz Grant program for philanthropic organizations on campus.\n“In very minimal advertising, we were thrilled to get as many as 21 applicants,” Ewing said. “The professionalism our student applicants showed in their grant proposals just blew us away.”\nThe Web site for the grant will be launched after the winners are announced. The site also offers a how-to guide for writing grant proposals for organizations applying for the grant next semester.\n“We really have an awesome thing going here,” Ewing said.