The Shelter Island Educational Foundation won’t hold its annual Porch Party this summer. The event is a primary fundraiser for the non-profit, which provides grants to students and institutions for learning experiences beyond those that can be funded through the school budget.
“People are being barraged with funding needs right now, and we will not solicit funding this summer,” said Margaret Colligan, chair of the SIEF grants committee. Asked if fundraising might continue in the fall she said, “this is bigger than all of us, so we need to wait and see”.
Before the novel coronavirus took hold, SIEF received just two applications in the latest grant cycle. Both requests were granted and the foundation has funds in place to begin a new grant cycle when conditions permit, Colligan said in a phone call Wednesday.
The Shelter Island Historical Society received a grant, about $1,200, to develop local history curriculum for the Shelter Island School for students in grades K to 12. A young skateboarder is recipient of the other grant. It defrays the cost to attend Woodward, a sports camp in Pennsylvania, Colligan said. Should the camp not take place due to Covid-19, the approved grant will roll over to 2021, she said.
