MARSHALL COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS $114,127 IN GRANTS

The Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) announced the Fall 2021 grant awards from Community Funds totaling $101,627. A multi-year grant approved from a prior grant round was also issued for $12,500.

Twice each year, nonprofit organizations are invited to submit funding requests for projects that improve the quality of life in Marshall County. MCCF Grants Committee members evaluate the proposals and conduct site visits during a competitive application process.

The first grants from unrestricted Community Funds at MCCF were awarded in 1995; since then, the MCCF has awarded over $4.2 million in total grants from these funds alone. In addition to the MCCF Community Fund, several named unrestricted funds also support these competitive grant rounds. Named funds include the Barbara and Ralph Winters Community Fund, the Billy and Vickie Ellinger Community Fund, the Brian and Patricia Kitch Family Community Fund, the C & M Overmyer Unrestricted Endowment Fund, the Eleanor and Randy Danielson Community Aesthetic Improvement Fund, the First Merchants Bank Community Fund, the Gibson Community Fund, the John and Kay Finlay Community Fund, the Paul and Carol Nye Community Fund, the Philip and Sylvia Bieghler Community Fund, and the Will and June Erwin Community Fund.

When donors give to Community Funds or create new unrestricted endowment funds, they are joining a rich legacy of philanthropy and investing in the collective well-being of Marshall County.

Community Fund Grants: 
Community (unrestricted endowment) Funds are the most flexible and responsive of the Foundation’s funds in addressing current and emerging needs. Grants from unrestricted endowment funds typically support projects focusing on the arts, education, health and human services, recreation, and the environment. 

  • Bremen Community Cares $20,000 to purchase a chair lift to help meet American Disabilities Act requirements for the Bremen Community and Performing Arts Center.
  • Culver Park Department: 10,000 to upgrade existing public basketball court with new recreational options allowing diverse engagement across ages, physical abilities, and mobility levels.
  • Drew’s Gift of Music: $5,000 toward refurbishing and procurement of instruments for children in need and help promote music education for local schools and communities.
  • Marshall County Historical Society: $8,927 to help purchase technology that will help improve audio-visual systems.
  • Servants at Work (SAWS): $3,200 to build ADA compliant wheelchair ramps for Marshall County residents.
  • WNIT: $2,500 to support the Education Counts Michiana Program that works to strengthen education and economic systems.
  • Wythougan Valley Preservation: $7,000 to create interpretive signs and historic markers to help the community and visitors understand and honor Marshall Country history.

Multi-year grants:

  • $12,500 from the Community Funds for Marshall County Crossroads Stellar projects.
  • $20,000 to the Rees Theatre for the purchase of an Ultra HD LED Display Screen (NEW). Total grant award $60,000.
  • $25,000 to Marshall County Crossroads Regional Planning for a multi-year and county-wide systems approach to health and well-being (NEW). Total grant award $100,000.

The Spring 2022 Community Fund grant application deadline is Tuesday, February 1, 2022, at 5:00 pm. The application may be found on the MCCF website: Marshallcountycf.org.

Applicants must be organizations with 501(c)(3) IRS status or organizations with 501(c) IRS status whose request is charitable in nature for the following: 

  • Start-up costs for new programs or the expansion of needed programs
  • One-time projects or needs