The John T. Vucurevich Foundation recently awarded more than $1 million in grants providing assistance in the funding priority areas of arts, education and health and human services.

The awards include:

• Northern Hills Alliance for Children - $195,000 over three years to implement a community daycare to expand the number of child-care providers in Deadwood called First Step Children's Center offering care to 60 infants and toddlers in the Lead/Deadwood area. Black Hills Area Community Foundation will act as fiscal sponsor for the project.
• Western South Dakota Community Action, Rapid City - $190,000 to construct an Energy Conservation Work Force Training Center. The additional area will be a weatherization training center and storage for an expanded weatherization program. This will allow them to train and employ 80 workers in energy conservation jobs and train 25 energy and construction businesses in federal government weatherization requirements. Funds will provide for over 1,000 homes to be weatherized.
• Custer Food Pantry, Custer - $135,000 to purchase a building in Custer to house the Custer Food Pantry and the Custer Community Exchange Program. The Community Exchange provides free clothing, furniture and household items to those in need.
• Rapid City Club for Boys - $100,000 for their Nutrition Program to provide meals to their members throughout the year.
• Youth & Family Services - $100,000 for the Girls, Inc. Program, which inspires girls to be Strong, Smart and Bold.
• St. Francis Mission - $35,000 to train staff to administer the Betty Ford Clinic Family Substance Abuse Recovery Program on the Rosebud Reservation.
• Pennington County Health and Human Services - $25,000 for miscellaneous expenses where no other community resources are available for clients and referrals from community agencies working with indigent and homeless people to help overcome barriers that prevent their success.
• South Dakota Afterschool Partnership, $20,000 in matching funds for a C.S. Mott Foundation grant to assist in the development of a statewide project to develop guidelines and standards for out of school time programs. The funds will be administered through South Dakota Voices for Children.
• Allied Arts Fund - $20,000 for the 2009 annual fund drive to benefit 11 local member arts organizations.
• Western Resources for the Dis-Abled Independence, Rapid City - $10,000 for their Home Modification and Adaptive Devices Program.
• Teton Coalition, Rapid City - $5,000 for the Homebuyer Education Program.
• Volunteers of America, Rapid City - $5,000 for Mommy's Closet providing emergency resources such as diapers, formula and referrals services for families.
• Prairie Freedom Center for Independent Living, Sioux Falls - $5,000 for the Home Modification and Adaptive Devices Program.
• Disabled American Veterans -- Chapter 3, Rapid City - $1,500 to purchase a defibrillator for the DAV Hall.
• Good Shepherd Clinic, Spearfish - $1,000 to purchase a computer, software and printer for the clinic that offers free medical care to noninsured people.
• Partners Investing in Nursing's Future (PIN) - The John T. Vucurevich Foundation will match $230,000 of a $250,000 grant over two years in funding from PIN. The two-year grant will fund "Prepare and Retain," a collaborative effort among Rapid City Regional Hospital, South Dakota State University and The University of South Dakota West River nursing programs. PIN, is a national initiative from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation to help address the long-term shortage of available nurses. The John T. Vucurevich Foundation initiated this local partnership to apply for the competitive grant and raise awareness of the nursing shortage in the western part of South Dakota.