Equinox Foundation announces grant awards

Thirty-seven nonprofit organizations serving Bonner and Boundary counties were recently awarded $374,538 in grants from the Equinox Foundation Fund at Innovia Foundation.

The Equinox Foundation partners with Innovia Foundation to provide a grant program for the benefit of communities in Bonner and Boundary counties. This family foundation was founded on the values of wisdom, integrity and environmental stewardship.

"Innovia Foundation is pleased to partner with Equinox Foundation in facilitating the grantmaking process for their grant program,” says Dig Chrismer, Innovia’s Rural Engagement Manager of the North Region. “For years, Equinox has been doing purposeful, important work to support communities in Bonner and Boundary Counties, addressing and promoting areas of growth, like education and youth development, arts and culture, economic opportunity, health and wellbeing, and quality of life. They continue to set the precedent for generosity and show how vital philanthropy is in making a lasting impact on our community.”

Local Equinox awards:

• A $10,000 grant to 9B Trails to help build 3.3 miles of connecting looped beginner access trails in phase two of the Enchanted Forest trail system, located in Boundary County.

• Panhandle Alliance for Education Inc. received a $20,000 grant to help fund the residential carpentry program at Sandpoint High School that serves over 100 students.

• A $10,000 grant to Community Coalition for Families to help improve the health and wellbeing of children, families and the community by providing emergency housing and transportation assistance to those in Boundary County.

• The Panida Theater received a $50,000 grant for their Panida Century Fund to help with long-deferred maintenance and restoration before the Panida's 100th anniversary in 2027.

Others receiving Equinox Foundation funding include:

• Angels Over Sandpoint, $5,000, Angels Over Sandpoint 2023 Back to School Program.

• Bonner Community Food Bank, $10,000, feeding families and individuals in the community;

• Bonner County Historical Society, Inc., $16,093, "Come What May, We Will Play" exhibit;

• Bonner Partners in Care Clinic, Inc., $5,00, financial assistance for health care;

• Bonner Soil & Water Conservation District, $2,500, 2024 Pend Oreille Water Festival;

• Boundary County Bike and Pedestrian Committee dba 9B Trails, $10,000, Enchanted Forest, construction of trail's second phase.

• Boundary County Free Library District, $3,000, Boundary County Library "Battle of the Books" teams;

• Boundary County School District 101, $7,500, 2130 Alpha-plus robotics team;

• Boundary County Youth Crisis & Domestic Violence Hotline (dba Boundary County Victim Services), $6,855, facilitate discussions for healthy teen relationships;

• Community Cancer Services, $10,000, cancer burden relief project;

• Community Coalition For Families, $10,000, emergency housing and transportation assistance;

• Festival at Sandpoint, $5,000, 2023 FAS Family Show with Michael Franti & Friends;

• First Judicial District CASA Program, Inc., $12,000, Bonner/Boundary operations;

• Food For Our Children, $3,000, weekend food & mid-morning snacks for food insecure youth;

• Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, $8,000, Winter Tracks youth education program;

• Friends of the Shelter (dba Better Together Animal Alliance), $10,000, BTAA community support programs;

• Kaniksu Land Trust, $10,000, ReWilding the Playground at Kootenai Elementary School;

• Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, $10,000, program staff;

• National Forest Foundation, $7,500, SnowSchool, proving affordable access to outdoors and education experiences;

• Panhandle Alliance for Education Inc., $20,000, residential carpentry program at Sandpoint High School

• The Panida Theater, $50,000, Panida Century Fund;

• Pawsitive Outreach Spay/Neuter Alliance, $10,000, community spay and neuter programs;

• The Pearl Theater, Inc., $20,000, Pearl Theater 2023-24 season support;

• Pend Oreille Arts Council, $5,000, POAC's Ovations educational outreach program;

• Pend Oreille Pedalers, $10,000, Sandpoint youth mountain bike skills park;

• Priest Lake Nordic Club, Inc., $10,000, equipment acquisition to expand winter recreation at Priest Lake;

• Priest River Ministries, $15,000, support for domestic violence survivors;

• Project 7B, $3,000, Bonner County waterways access and awareness;

• Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc., $15,000, building community programs;

• Sandpoint Nordic Club, Inc., $10,000, program gear and facilitator;

• Sandpoint Youth Center, Inc., $10,000, healthy teens after school;

• Selkirk Conservation Alliance, Inc. (SCA), $5,000, education, scientific research, advocacy;

• Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education, Inc., $10,000, Project WILD program to education and develop region's youth;

• Trinity Lutheran Church of Bonners Ferry, $10,000, Boundary County weekend supplemental food program

• Unique Center for Athletes of All Needs, $7,500, special needs fitness, therapy and recreation;

• Valley View Elementary, $7,590, classroom desk project;

• YMCA of the Inland Northwest — Litehouse branch, $5,000, YMCA Sandpoint, Membership for All assistance program.

Information: innovia.org