CHAPIN — The Greater Chapin Community Endowment is asking local non-profit 501(c)3 organizations and agencies to submit proposals for the 2013 grant awards cycle. GCCE accepts proposals with a maximum amount of $5,000.

The GCCE exists to provide resources for a broad range of existing and future charitable needs in the Greater Chapin area — Chapin, Ballentine, Little Mountain, Peak, Prosperity and White Rock.

Grants in recent years have been made to Newberry Free Medical Clinic, Newberry Wellness Center in Little Mountain, Good Works, We Care, The Chapin Community Theater, Crooked Creek Art League, Explorer Post #11, American Legion Post 193 and the Palmetto Conservation Foundation.

Organizations can find application materials and guidelines online at www.chapin.yourfoundation.org. The deadline is March 31. Organizations whose applications are selected as finalists will be invited to make a presentation to the Grants Committee in mid-April or early May.

GCCE was founded in 2003 by local citizens with a deep interest in establishing an endowment fund that would be used to help local charitable organizations improve the lives of fellow citizens. GCCE is an affiliate fund of Central Carolina Community Foundation which manages and invests the endowment fund and assists the GCCE in the grant process.

The endowment currently has assets of over $400,000 invested through CCCF, which manages nearly $100 million in funds for charitable organizations throughout the Midlands.

Each year a percentage from the endowment fund is used to make grants to area charitable organizations to enable them to conduct projects designed to help improve the lives of local citizens. The endowment raises funds through its primary fundraiser, the charity gala. In 2013 the sixth annual Charity Gala will be held Sept. 28 at Timberlake Country Club.

Contact David Laird at 803-254-5602, ext. 322, or david@yourfoundation.org for more information.