CTK Foundation Awards over $55,000 in “Heart & Soul” Grants to Nonprofits

Unique Grants Program Celebrates the Mission of Nonprofit Work and Promotes the Use of Technology in Managing Mission Achievement

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nonprofits and their supporters were out in force last night at the CTK Foundation’s Heart & Soul Gala to honor this year’s recipients of the organization’s grant awards. The annual event, which was held at the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, featured the Grammy Award-winning Original Blind Boys of Alabama performing an original song inspired by a poem written and submitted by Furniture Sharehouse, the winner of the 2013 Heart & Soul main award grant.

“Receiving this grant means so much to us”

The main award licenses the song to Furniture Sharehouse in perpetuity and is accompanied by a $10,000 grant to help the organization raise awareness of their mission, which is to provide free furniture to economically disadvantaged individuals and families living in the vicinity of Westchester County, New York.

“Receiving this grant means so much to us,” said Kate Bialo, Furniture Sharehouse’s president and executive director. “With the cash we can provide 35 families with enough furniture to fill their empty apartments and help them rebuild their lives and live with dignity. And having a song from such a legendary group as the Blind Boys will help raise our profile in the community, drive donations and connect people to the meaning of our mission.”

Explaining the reason behind their unique grant application process, Kathryn Engelhardt-Cronk, founder of the CTK Foundation, and president and CEO of Community TechKnowledge, Inc., said, “We ask organizations to submit poems about their mission because it is the perfect way to underscore our foundation’s goal of helping nonprofits use technology to spend less time managing their day-to-day processes and more time directly on their causes – the reasons why their organizations exist to begin with. Creating a poem reminds everyone of the ‘heart and soul’ behind their organization’s mission.”

Following is the complete list of 2013 Heart & Soul Grant Awards and their winners:

2013 Heart & Soul Grants	Awarded to:
Main award of $10,000 cash and original song from the Original Blind Boys of Alabama	Furniture Sharehouse
$10,000 Health and Human Services grant available to an Austin-based nonprofit specializing in At Risk Children and Families; made possible by the Cipione Family Foundation	Saint Louise House
Two $5,000 grants available to U.S. nonprofits	Grace After Fire Tourette Syndrome Association of Greater Washington
Five $1,000 “Excellence in Technology” grants available to Community TechKnowledge customer organizations that attend the company’s 2013 Outcomes Immersion Certification Training	Children’s Advocacy Center of Collier County Houston Area Urban League Lighthouse of Broward County North Iowa Community Action Organization United Way of Tompkins County Asset Coalition Project
Three autographed guitars, from: The Original Blind Boys of Alabama Los Lonely Boys Sunny Shipley	Reach Out Rescue & Resources Mental Health Association in Greensboro Hill Country Cats
Blogger’s Choice Award of $1,000 cash grant nominated by Ash Shepard of ashshepherd.com	Evanston Public Library

In addition to the $55,000 in grants awarded last night, the CTK foundation awarded $45,000 in technology grants to 17 U.S. nonprofits in January, bringing total 2013 donations to $100,000.

About the CTK Foundation

The goals of the CTK Foundation are to celebrate the mission of nonprofit work and to promote the use of technology in managing mission achievement. The foundation supports a wide range of programs that benefit health and human services, cultural arts education and support, animal protection services, and environmental protection services. Funding for the CTK Foundation was established by Community TechKnowledge (CTK), Inc., an Austin-based technology company that helps nonprofits streamline their work through its outcomes management and reporting software and services. CTK serves over 12,000 users at 400 nonprofits in the U.S. and U.K. Visit communitytech.net for more information.

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