Sophia Travis Community Service Grants
2023 Grant Year
Information on the 2023 Sophia Travis Grant cycle will be available soon!
2022 Sophia Travis Grant Awards
2022 Sophia Travis Grant Applications
Award Announcement
All applicants of the Sophia Travis Grants were requested to give a presentation in support of their organization to the Grant Committee in addition to submitting their application.
On August 23, 2022 a meeting was held during which the Grant Committee submitted a list of award recipients to the Monroe County Council for approval. Twenty-six different local agencies were awarded grants totaling $151,220.
Grants Program History
In 2008, The Monroe County Council established a fund from which to make grants to support various community projects. Resolution 2008-51 is the original resolution setting out the purposes and intent of this fund.
On September 10, 2013, the Monroe County Council adopted Resolution 2013-15, which renames the community service grant program "The Sophia Travis Community Service Grants Program." Councilwoman Travis, who served on the Council from 2004-2008, in consultation with numerous leaders and citizens of Monroe County, wrote and sponsored the resolution creating this program in 2008. She worked tirelessly to improve the lives of all Monroe County residents.
On June 14, 2016, the Monroe County Council adopted Resolution 2016-23 which amends the areas of focus to include two new areas. The first addition is "nutrition" in Section 1A, so it will now read "Food, Nutrition, Security, Shelter and Health." The second area is referenced with the addition of subsection "1H. Youth Enrichment Opportunities." With this resolution the Council wishes to encourage the development of programs that will help a broader range of needs in Monroe County.
On August 23, 2022 the Council adopted Ordinance 2022-29 amending the prior grant procedure opening up funds to a wider variety of qualifying agencies; reducing the amount of applications that are of marginal value in order to lower the administrative burden; and limiting agencies to one application at a time to assure the suitability and quality of each application. This ordinance supersedes the previous resolutions to the Sophia Travis Grants Program.
Areas for Support:
- Climate Change
- Emergency Shortages
- Excellence in Government
- First Responders
- Health, Food, Nutrition, Security, and Shelter
- Transportation Assistance
- Veterans Assistance
- Youth Enrichment Opportunities
Evaluation Criteria:
- Programs must primarily serve Monroe County Residents
- Whether the dollar amount sought will likely accomplish the stated goal of the proposal
- Whether the funds sought will leverage additional funds or assistance
- Support for basic operational expenses will be considered, but not given highest priority
- Support for salaries will be considered, but will not be given the highest priority
The Sophia Travis Community Service Grants Review Committee is composed of five members. Three are representatives from the County Council. Two citizen members are public appointments.
Grants Committee Members:
| Name | Title | |
| Jean Capler | Community Member | jean.capler@gmail.com |
| Hattie Johnson | Community Member | hloujohnson@gmail.com |
| Peter Iversen | County Council | piversen@co.monroe.in.us |
| Cheryl Munson, Chair | County Council | cmunson@co.monroe.in.us |
| Jennifer Crossley | County Council | jcrossley@co.monroe.in.us |
2021 Awards
To review the Monroe County Council total distribution of Sophia Travis Community Service Grants Program funds for 2021 and prior, click the link below.
Past Grant Presentations
Newcomers to the application process can visit Community Access Television Services (CATS-TV) website to view previous Grant presentations to aid in preparation.
- View grant presentations (scroll to bottom for listing)
If you have any questions or need help regarding the application process, please contact the County Council Office at 812-349-7312 or email CouncilOffice@co.monroe.in.us if you have any questions.
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