For the fourth year in a row, a class in the College of Human Ecology is passing along $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations in the Ithaca community as part of a learning experience about philanthropy.

The grant project is part of the course work in Leadership in Nonprofit Environments (HE 407), taught by Brenda Bricker, director of leadership and undergraduate research in the College of Human Ecology.

The grant money is provided by The Sunshine Lady Foundation, a private family foundation launched by Doris Buffett, sister of investor Warren Buffett, and dedicated to breaking cycles of poverty, abuse and economic dependence through investment in education. The class also partners with the United Way of Tompkins County, which manages the grant program.

This year, as in the past three years, the Ithaca Free Clinic will receive a grant from the class -- this year to cover the cost of malpractice insurance for a physician and a nurse.

It also will allow more patients to receive health care services at a time when the need is growing steadily, clinic manager Rob Brown said.

"So far, it looks like we'll have a 50 percent increase in our patient base this year," he said. "We have already sent out memos telling volunteers we've got the grant and asking them when they can start."

The class also funded the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snacks program, which is sponsored by the Village at Ithaca and provides fresh fruits and vegetables to students twice a day, and a program by the Finger Lakes Independence Center to install modular ramps at the homes of low-income, mobility-impaired individuals. To date, the class has funneled $40,000 from The Sunshine Lady Foundation to the Ithaca community. This year, 30 health and human service agencies submitted grants requesting a total of more than $180,000.

"We tried to focus on giving to organizations that were getting to the root of problems in our community, not just treating the symptoms," said Lauren Wein, ILR '09. "My only regret is that I took this class as a senior, because I really opened up my eyes to the needs of the Ithaca community."

Throughout the semester Cornell students studied the roles, responsibilities and challenges of nonprofits. They also studied individual philanthropy, wrote grant proposals and now are practicing the responsibilities of grant makers.

"Before, I was completely focused on the for-profit world," said Joseph Duva '09, a policy analysis and management major. "Now, I've changed my focus, and I want to find a way to link together for-profit and nonprofit work."

Sheri Hall is assistant director of communications in the College of Human Ecology.