2018 HDR Foundation Grants
Large Grants
Freestore Foodbank | Cincinnati, Ohio
HDR Foundation’s $29,390 grant will fund a one-time purchase of a commercial oven and convection steamer for the Freestore Cincinnati Cooks program. The program is a free culinary training program for the unemployed in Cincinnati. The new equipment will also allow the program to expand their Kids Cafe after school meal program to new sites and serve more children.
Together! | Lacey, Washington
$26,386 in HDR Foundation funds will build an “HDR Mobile STEM Lab.” Equipment for the mobile lab includes Lego kits, bug incubator kits, hummingbird growing kits, aquaculture and aquariums, solar inverter kit, buzzy-bug grow kit, etc. The materials will provide a mobile learning center for the 300 elementary and middle school students served in the six Club House programs. HDR employees and other professionals will co-create lessons to enhance the experience by introducing real-life context from professionals.
DigDeep Right to Water | Navajo Nation, Utah
With a $45,000 HDR Foundation grant, DigDeep Right to Water is purchasing a water truck to haul potable water to the Navajo Nation, where families living below the poverty line are forced to buy expensive bottled water or haul dirty water from ponds and livestock troughs up to 50 miles away.
San Antonio Lifetime Recovery Center | San Antonio, Texas
HDR Foundation is funding $20,000 for the creation of a new fitness center, which will provide clients recovering from addiction a place to build the habit of exercise as part of their recovery plan. Funds will be spent on elliptical equipment, treadmills, dumbbells, benches and multi-gyms.
SCS Noonan Scholars | San Pedro, California
HDR Foundation’s $50,000 grant will purchase textbooks, laptops and programming support for a 6-week session of the Summer Academy. The Academy focuses on academic preparation for underserved students to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and other challenging college majors. It has extensive participation from our HDR employees who have participated in mentoring students and teaching at the Summer Academy.
Cowlitz County CASA | Longview, Washington
The $88,000 HDR Foundation grant will be used to remodel and update the training facility which will better enable the facilitation and preparation of CASA staff, volunteers and community events. Renovation of the building includes installing a heating system, small kitchen, modular shelving system and plumbing. CASA recruits, trains and supports volunteer guardians to advocate for children engaged within the county dependency court system.
Purchase Area Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center (PASAC) | Paducah, Kentucky
The HDR Foundation $75,000 grant will build “The Sanctuary,” a therapeutic healing garden for victims of sexually-based crimes and their families. Grant money will fund drainage, irrigation, hardscape, softscape and lighting. The new green spaces will provide tranquility and will maximize the natural elements designed around 1) nature engagement, 2) safety and sense of control, 3) social support and 4) movement and exercise.
Small Grants
First Round
South Dakota Parks and Wildlife | Rapid City, South Dakota
With the HDR Foundation’s $12,850 grant, South Dakota Parks and Wildlife will construct a handicap accessible fishing platform at Merriman’s Pond. The fishing landing will provide recreational and educational opportunities for children of all ages and those with limited mobility. It will also serve as an outdoor classroom for the many school field trips to the pond, where children learn about and experience the natural environment, wildlife and aquatic ecology.
MacDonald Training Center | Tampa, Florida
The MacDonald Training Center will use $15,000 in funding from the HDR Foundation to create a simulated hospital room where people with disabilities can train for positions in the health care field. This allows for more comprehensive learning than hectic on-the-floor training, particularly for those with cognitive or sensory challenges who are sensitive to outside distractions. This provides these individuals a chance to develop their skills and ultimately move into higher paid jobs and advance their careers.
The Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands | Omaha, Nebraska
The Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands will use $15,000 from the HDR Foundation to improve the technology infrastructure at its six Legacy Clubs in the Omaha metro area. This will support the expansion of its STEM Academy program to reach more youth in the Omaha community. The existing infrastructure is unable to support the newly installed computers and technology equipment that were donated last year.
Second Round
Explore Austin | Austin, Texas
Explore Austin connects low-income and minority youth with caring adult role models and introduces the children to life-changing outdoor experiences. The $15,000 HDR Foundation grant will be used to purchase a canoe trailer, 10 canoes, 10 women’s backpacks, eight stoves, 10 headlamps and a bike rack. This gear and equipment will be used by Explorers and Mentors during the outdoor activities set to take place this year and in the coming years.
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas | Dallas, Texas
The after-school programs offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas help youth from low-income, underserved communities find academic success. $14,944 from the HDR Foundation will be used to purchase BookNook and Eureka Math software that will be integrated into the tutoring program. The new curriculum will better assess and guide students' reading level and grow conceptual knowledge of number sense, ultimately preparing them to graduate high school on time and set them up for postsecondary education and a career.
Community Housing of Wyandotte County | Kansas City, Kansas
CHWC’s Splitlog Farm is an urban garden providing fresh fruits and vegetables, health and nutrition programming, and a community gathering space. Elementary school students plant, water, weed and harvest the garden, bringing produce back to the school to serve in the cafeteria. Volunteers distribute the rest of the produce free of charge to local residents living in a neighborhood considered to be a food desert. The HDR Foundation grant of $15,000 will be used for major improvements to the farm, including washing stations, solar lighting, a rainwater collection system and outdoor classroom seating.
Jackson Purchase RC&D Foundation | Benton, Kentucky
The Jackson Purchase RC&D Foundation promotes healthy communities, healthy environments and sustainable economic growth. It will use the $14,980 from the HDR Foundation grant paired with local donations to create an interpretive nature trail along the Clarks River, specifically the installation of permanent launching infrastructure. The trail will be open to the public and the ramp will provide the first local trail access for canoes and kayaks, meeting a need for recreational opportunities in the area.
Literacy KC | Kansas City, Missouri
Literacy KC's Ticket to Read program equips students with needed literacy and digital skills and supports them in working toward high school diplomas, GEDs or other career readiness programs. The $15,000 HDR Foundation grant will provide a mobile computer lab to ensure all students will be able to complete a Digital Life Skills class, where they review the basics of computers and become familiar and comfortable with the digital skills necessary for today’s society.
New College Foundation | Sarasota, Florida
Plastic pollution is a pervasive problem to humans and other animals, especially along shorelines. There is no annual baseline data for water and sediment microplastic pollution levels for Sarasota Bay. The HDR Foundation’s $5,189 grant will provide the supplies needed for college students to establish an annual baseline that can be added to state and five gyres databases, providing information for a reduction and clean-up strategy. Local teachers will be trained to encourage citizen science projects to add to the baseline data.
Saluda River Chapter – Trout Unlimited | Columbia, South Carolina
$5,440 from the HDR Foundation will cover the cost of an aquarium and all supplies needed to start a Trout in the Classroom program. This conservation and education program is available to schools nationwide for K-12 grades where students learn to raise trout from eggs to fingerling. The TIC program provides children with an understanding of water quality and cold water conservation, and it reconnects an increasingly urbanized population of youth to the system of streams, rivers and watersheds that sustain them.