Annual Meeting

For more photos from the meeting click on this link.

Or watch a video of the meeting below:

Materials found on this webpage below:

Introduction

Agenda

BLF Financial Statements for Fiscal Year 2023

BLF Grant Cycle History 2006-2024

Elections of Board Trustees

BLF Tools Application

List of Organizations Applying for 2024 Grants
(and spreadsheet document)

Message from Board of Trustees regarding determination of 2024 funding recommendations

Meeting materials in downloadable PDF documents

Introduction

The BLF story. Founded more than 35 years ago by members of the Co-op Bookstore to honor Bill Long, we follow the principles that Bill championed: participatory democracy and local impact. Our members, board, and the organizations and causes we support are all part of the Oberlin community.

The BLF reach. This year 19 organizations submitted 20 project requests totaling just over $67,000! During this year's annual meeting the membership will discuss the applications and then vote to fund the requests.

The BLF approach. All of our grants go to meet the needs of the Oberlin community. Our organization has no employees and few expenses. Our application process is as simple as possible. With a donation of $10 or more ($5 for students), anyone can become a member of BLF.

The BLF Annual Meeting. During the Annual Meeting members will conduct the Foundation business - review the activities of BLF since the last annual meeting, hear financial details, say goodbye and thanks to outgoing trustees and elect new board trustees. Then members will hear from representatives of the non-profit causes about their organizations and missions related to their grant applications, after which the members will vote on how to distribute grant funding! The event will begin at 6:30 pm with a social reception. The business portion of the meeting begins promptly at 7:00 pm.  Details from the meeting are posted on this website.

Join us or renew! It’s easy to do. Go to our Documents page, download the Donation & Membership Form  and return it with your contribution, or contribute through PayPal. (link button below).

The Annual Meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube for those who want to see the meeting but cannot attend the in-person event. Link to livestream of BILL LONG FOUNDATION ANNUAL MEETING 2024.

Help us spread the word about BLF. Ask your friends to become members, too!

1. 6:30PM – Social Half–Hour

Time to snack and to talk and meet with Grant Applicant Organizations

2. 7:00PM – Call to Order/Welcome – Del Mason

3. Review of 2023 BLF Annual Membership Meeting minutes – Steph Mata Granados

Motion/Vote to approve 2023 Annual Membership Meeting minutes

4. President’s Report – Brandon County

5. 2023 Financial Documents and Treasurer’s Report – Peter Jensen

Motion/Vote to accept Treasurer's Report

6. Nomination & Election of Board Trustees – Jill Sawyer

Thanks to Liv Hanson and Michael Reynolds for their service on the board

Trustees continuing in their 3–year terms: Kathleen Jackson, Peter Jensen, Del Mason, Steph Mata Granados, Sandra Miller, Julia Robinson, Jill Sawyer, and Brittnei Sherrod

Trustee seeking new 3–year term: Brandon County

Nominations by the BLF Nominations Committee for open Trustee positions

(3-year terms): Cynthia Breda and Nicholas Hudnell

Discussion of Slate and Motion/Vote to approve

7. Report on Tools & Training Program – Brandon County

8. 5–10 minute stretch

9. Causes – Julia Robinson & Brandon County

2–minute presentations by grant applicants

1–2 brief questions per organization

Motion(s) and vote(s) to approve or amend Board recommended awards

Final Motion and Vote by membership to accept overall funding of all projects

10. Other Business

11. Adjournment

Links

Annual Meeting Information: https://www.blfoberlin.org/annual-meeting

Meeting livestreamed on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/BLF2024livestream

Grant Application Process Information: https://www.blfoberlin.org/grants

Membership Information and Donations: https://www.blfoberlin.org/donating-membership

Bill Long Foundation Website Homepage: https://blfoberlin.org

Bill Long Foundation Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BillLongFoundation

Bill Long Foundation Mailing Address: P.O. Box 0141, Oberlin, OH 44074

Bill Long Foundation Email Address: blfoberlin@gmail.com

Election for Board Trustees

Outgoing Board Members

Liv Hanson joined Bill Long Foundation board in 2021 and continued on the board until taking a position at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank in late 2023. A 2019 Oberlin College graduate, Liv led the Tools Committee’s work to expand BLF grant access to individuals and neighborhood projects in the Oberlin area.

Michael Reynolds is retiring from the Bill Long Foundation board after serving in almost every officer, vice-officer, ad hoc officer, and informal officer position. With his good cheer, his wide-ranging institutional memory, and his dedication to improving Oberlin and BLF, he has been a valued mentor and role model for board members past, present, and future.

2024 Bill Long Foundation Board Candidates

Cynthia Breda has a strong passion for community engagement and to help others. She is a board member for her township’s zoning committee and serves as the secretary. Cynthia is also a board member for Community Action to Save Strays cat rescue. Cynthia received her bachelor’s degree in communications from John Carroll University and her master’s degree in public administration from Kent State University. She also holds a graduate certificate in nonprofit management. Cynthia resides on 13 acres in New Russia Township and hopes to convert it into an agriforest.

Brandon County joined the Bill Long Foundation board in 2021 and is seeking reelection for another 3 year term. A proud alumnus of the Oberlin schools, he also serves on the board of the League of Women Voters of Lorain County and works downtown at Ben Franklin/Mindfair Books. An avid reader and former Co-Op Bookstore employee, he has parlayed a childhood enthusiasm for model trains into a series of research projects on railroad history.

Nick Hudnell was raised in Oberlin and completed his entire K-12 education in Oberlin public schools. Now, he’s a corporate policyholder insurance coverage attorney at a full-service corporate law firm in downtown Cleveland. Although he lives in Cleveland now, Oberlin will always be his home and he looks forward to the opportunity to use the knowledge and tools he’s obtained in his career to give back to the community he still feels is his own.

2024 BLF Grants Funding Proposals
Organization, amount requested, short description of project, link to their online resources

Common Ground - Cindy Nord Center for Renewal

Requesting $5,000

Healthy snacks  for summer campers & garden play area

https://commongroundcenter.org

Community Action to Save Strays (CATSS)

Requesting $2,500

Assistance for care of cats in stressed need homes

https://www.catssoberlin.org

Firelands Association for Visual Arts (FAVA)

Requesting $2,000

Scholarships for Education Programming

https://www.favagallery.org

Lorain County Imagination Library

Requesting $3,000

Book fees for Oberlin children enrolled in Lorain County Imagination Library

https://www.peoplewhocare.org/lcil

Mad* Factory

Requesting $2,000

General operating support

https://www.madfactory.org

Ninde Scholars Program

Requesting $2,200

High School student expenses (food) during summer programs

https://www.oberlin.edu/bcsl/programs/ninde-scholars

Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra (NOYO)

Requesting $3,000

Financial aid for musicians to participate in reduced-price instrumental lessons

https://www.noyo.org

Oberlin Choristers

Requesting $3,500

Summer camp/concert materials (sheet music, uniforms, accompanist fees, etc.)

https://www.ochoristers.org

Oberlin Community Services - Emergency Services Support

Requesting $7,000

Support for direct emergency assistance

https://www.oberlincommunityservices.org/what-we-do

Oberlin Community Music School

Requesting $2,700

Scholarships for students attending summer camp music lessons

https://www.oberlin.edu/community-music-school

Oberlin Community Supporting Immigrants

Requesting $3,000

Funding to support Lorain County immigrants in crisis

https://www.oberlincommunitysi.org

Oberlin Heritage Center

Requesting $400

Funding historical re-enactors, performers, and/or musicians

https://www.oberlinheritagecenter.org

Oberlin High School Interact Club BackPack Program

Requesting $3,000

Supplying needy students with backpacks of food for weekends

https://oberlincityschools.wordpress.com/2022/04/05/ocsd-receives-temporary-relief-funding%EF%BF%BC/

Oberlin Public Library

Requesting $3,000

Update/enhance Early Literacy Play Area

https://oberlinlibrary.org

Oberlin Weekday Community Meals (OWCM)

Requesting $8,000

General operating expenses and local food sourcing

https://www.facebook.com/ObieHotMeals/

OberlinKids Comm. Collaborative - Equal Access PreSchool

Requesting $5,000

Scholarships for high-quality preschool program attendance

https://www.oberlinkids.org

OberlinKids Comm. Collaborative - Family Engagement

Requesting $5,000

Provide monthly Family Engagement Literacy and Learning Kits

https://www.oberlinkids.org

Providing Oberlin With Efficiency Responsibly (POWER)

Requesting $3,000

Home repair materials & labor for weatherization, safety, & conservation

https://www.poweroberlin.org

Road to Hope - Margeau House

Requesting $2,365

Purchasing two new refrigerators

https://road-to-hope.org

Ruby N. Jones Community Scholarship Fund

Requesting $2,000

Higher education college scholarship support for Oberlin students in need

https://www.msrubyscholarship.org

If you would like to add to the BLF grant funding for a specific cause or causes that are of special significance to you please volunteer your donation during the discussion of the funding levels or contact the Treasurer after the meeting.

The Bill Long Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under the regulations of the Internal Revenue Service.

Message from Bill Long Foundation Board of Trustees regarding how Trustees determined their 2024 funding recommendations:

How did the BLF Trustees come up with their 2024 funding recommendations?

1. The Bill Long Foundation (BLF) is a membership-powered community foundation that gives grants to support projects and activities in Oberlin that address basic human needs or enrich cultural life. Membership in the foundation is open to all. Members elect volunteer trustees who manage all operations and award grants based on the vote of members attending the annual meeting.

2. The trustees reviewed all grant applications for completeness and considered to what extent each application aligns with the BLF mission statement. In most years there are a few applications that are incomplete or do not align with our mission statement, with the result that they do not make the final cut; that was true again this year.

3. The trustees considered the BLF’s financial situation (primarily our investments with Lesjak Planning and BLF members’ donations, as well as current market trends and our financial advisor’s advice) in order to determine how much total money to recommend be awarded at this year’s annual meeting.

This year (following a significant decline in the markets and our investments) we came up with a total amount of around $43,500 based on the following considerations: We started with a 5.5% annual draw (a fiscally sustainable amount recommended by our financial advisor -- based on our portfolio and market trends) from our March 2024 investments total of $346,807, making for a starting amount of $19,074 available this year for grants.

To that investment withdrawal, we added our March 2024 checking account balance of $27,919 (primarily unrestricted donations from BLF members), making for a total of $46,993.

From that total of $46,993 we held back $3,333 -- $1,333 to account for Tools Committee micro grants and $2,000 (approximately 4.25%) for operating expenses in the coming year (insurance, PO Box, bookkeeping software, Bill Long’s model train support, etc.), making for a final total of $43,660 as the board’s recommended upper limit on annual grant awards in 2024.

4. The trustees determined how to divide the recommended total (this year $43,660) among the qualifying grant applications (this year 20 applications requesting $67,665). Our decisions were guided primarily by three factors:

i) To what extent was the proposed project beneficial to Oberlin residents.

ii) The relative sizes of the applicant organizations and the resources available to them from other sources.

iii) The extent to which the project focuses on high priority community needs.

A final note: The trustees have made these funding recommendations with careful consideration for the immediate needs of Oberlin residents, as well as for the longer-term financial stability of the Bill Long Foundation so it can continue to serve Oberlin residents.

Meeting materials in downloadable
PDF documents on Documents webpage

Agenda
2023 Annual Meeting Minutes
Treasurer's Report
Treasurer's Grant Cycle History
2024 Board of Trustees Candidates Election Slate
2024 Grants Proposal Spreadsheet
Board Grant Funding Recommendation Explanation