Since the Trust began making grants in December 1998, the majority of its funding has supported the program area of Helping People in Need. This was a natural continuation of Mrs. Pulliam's lifetime efforts to help those less fortunate. The Trustees, who all knew Mrs. Pulliam, are conscientious in maintaining the Trust as a living legacy to Mrs. Pulliam's personal charitable interests and giving throughout her lifetime.

The area of Helping People in Need is broad in scope, both in the population groups we seek to serve - women, children, youth and families; the elderly; and the physically and developmentally disabled - and the types of organizations we choose to support. The Trust supports organizations and programs that improve the individual human condition. Trust grants provide basic necessities on an immediate basis and also support efforts that seek sustainable improvements in an individual's ability to achieve a basic quality of life for self and family.

With the Thanksgiving holiday almost here, this issue of Connections features an article about our support of organizations that provide basic needs and services primarily to homeless families and individuals of Marion County in Indiana and Maricopa County in Arizona. Co-authors are Michael Twyman and Dr. Edmund Portnoy, our respective directors of grants programs in Indiana and Arizona. Since joining the Trust five years ago, they both have provided significant leadership in our home communities of Indianapolis and Phoenix in helping define and manage our Helping People in Need grantmaking.

We also are pleased to introduce our readers to the fourth cohort of Nina Scholars, whom the Trustees welcomed to the Trust family at celebratory luncheons earlier this month. Since we began the Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholarship program in 2001, there are now more than 100 Nina Scholars at our four participating universities and community colleges, and 14 who have already received associate's or bachelor's degrees.

This issue of Connections concludes with descriptions of our third round grantees for 2004. Grant check presentation events were held recently with representatives of our 47 grantees in Indianapolis and Phoenix. Also, please take a moment to review our 2005 grant application guidelines and deadlines.