Montgomery County Community Foundation gathered Thursday to award grant checks to 15 recipients in the final grant cycle of 2023. Awards totaled $334,003.
Kelly Taylor, MCCF Chief Executive Officer, welcomed everyone and thanked the nonprofit leaders for the work they do in our community. Fund owners in attendance were recognized and thanked, for without fund owners, the grants would not be possible.
Listed by area of interest, the following grants were awarded:
Community Development
• Wayne Township Community Improvement, $16,000
Waynetown is known for its festivals which bring the community and surrounding areas together. Improvements to the park’s kitchen will allow them to do this more easily and more safely. Improvements will include new windows, doors, counter tops and fans.
• Crawfordsville District Public Library, $18,246
About 415 patrons use the library’s public computers each month. A survey indicated strong interest in the ability to borrow laptops or hotspots. The Digital Literacy and Access Project will expand access to in-person instruction on technology-related topics and to technology equipment through a lending program of laptops, hotspots and Chromebooks.
Early Childhood Education
• Crawfordsville Community School Corporation - Willson Preschool, $52,503
Funds will provide furniture and research-based curriculum for two classrooms, allowing them to double their current program. These items will help meet criteria towards becoming Paths to Quality Certified, allowing them to accept CCDF and On My way Pre-K vouchers.
• Hand in Hand Creative Learning, $10,659
As Hand in Hand strives to provide a quality program for the children in their care, various improvements are needed. This will allow them to install new blinds on five classroom windows and to purchase two high-quality play kitchens for classroom use.
• New Hope Christian
Preschool, $18,375
After a major playground makeover, some additional items will complete the outdoor classroom. They will add four sets of tables with benches, additional seats, a Large Outlast Set which includes a shed, wheelbarrow, three crates and the Outlast Classics Set of blocks, all of which fits in the shed for storage.
Education
• Educational Foundation, $30,000
MCEF offers grants to local K-12 teachers. Teachers may apply for grants to support enrichment projects and activities that are not otherwise funded by the schools’ budgets. Awards are made in all areas, STEM (Science, technology, Engineering and Math), the arts, speech, language and more.
Health
• Crawfordsville Community School Corporation, $10,000
Funds will be used for the health and welfare of students K-12 with financial need. This could be for dental, vision, medical, mental health care or prescriptions. It will also provide education on topics such as drug use prevention, growth and development, CPR trainings and supplies, and more.
• Montgomery County Free Clinic, $10,117
This supports the first system-wide technology upgrade since the Dr. Mary Ludwig Clinic opened in 2017. With six new computers, new monitors, printers and a sundry of wires and cables, the clinic can maintain a high quality of care for patients by ensuring reliable and efficient technology supports.
Historical
• Historical Society, $14,589
Maintaining and safeguarding the Historic Lane Place is always the central goal. These funds will make some structural repairs inside and out, and includes the construction of a ramp to ensure accessibility for everyone. Also included are outdoor benches and some security features.
Human Services
• FISH, $20,000
With a big increase in clients this year, FISH is in need of food. This grant has a provision for purchasing food and also includes funds for truck rental so that they can take advantage of other opportunities to purchase low-cost food.
• Servants at Work (SAWs), $16,000
Volunteer built, these funds will provide the materials to construct eight wheelchair ramps for individuals in Montgomery County.
• Women’s Resource Center, $7,500
Expectant mothers will receive free medical services as well as items needed for the care of their infants. WRC’s work addresses the higher than desired infant mortality rate in our county and provides many important supports to new parents.
Youth
• Boys & Girls Club, $15,014
After 23 years of play, the gym walls have seen their fair share of wear and tear. It’s time for all old dry wall to come down and new, more durable walls to go up to see the kids through another generation of play.
• Montgomery County 4-H, $60,000
The 4-H building sees heavy use year-round. With time, comes deterioration. These funds will support work on the southeast wall to ensure the integrity of the building.
• Youth Service Bureau, $35,000
YSB provides services to at-risk youth, helping them reduce risk factors and improve protective factors to prevent delinquency. This supports four such programs, CASA, Child Abuse Prevention, Inspire and Alternative School.
The grants were made possible by the following MCCF Field of Interest Funds: Herman Dicks Fund, FAITH Alliance Fund, Drs. Paul and Mary Ludwig Fund, Paul and Irmingard McKinney Fund, Herbert, Genevieve and Marian Morrison Fund, Faye O. and Anna Winter Schenck Fund.
And from these MCCF Unrestricted Funds: Missie Bickel No Hill for a Climber Fund, Phil and Farzaneh Boots Fund, Samuel L. and Eva Fern Boots Fund, Richard F. and Elaine S. Chase Fund, Community Fund, Tony and Cindy Cosenza Fund, Hank and Nancy Coyle Fund, John and Betty Culley Fund, Tom and Delores Crews Fund, Irwin Lee Detchon Fund, Ron and Trudy Dickerson Fund, Dr. William and Nancy Doemel Fund, Ron Eden Fund, Earl F. and Ruby B. Elliott Fund, Barbara and Larry Frye Fund, Jack and Joyce Grimble Fund, M. Gaildene and Stan Hamilton Fund, Thomas and Mary Beth Harmon Fund, Carl F. and Margaret Henthorn Fund, Dennis and Dee Hohlbein Fund, Hoosier Heartland State Bank Fund, John and Roberta Hudson Fund, Walter Hulet Fund, Hubert and Martha Massing Fund, Steve and Diane McLaughlin Fund, Nucor Fund, Marty Pool Fund, Anita Rupar Fund, Clark and Nancy Sennett Fund, Kathy and John Steele Fund, Max K. Tannenbaum Trust Fund, Beverley J. Turner Fund in memory of John C. White, Damon C. and Bernice Seaman Wray Fund, Roland Brooks and Helen Johnson Wynne Fund.
MCCF manages more than 240 endowed funds, each established by donors with the desire to make Montgomery County a better place to live. Since 1991, more than $27 million in grants and scholarships has been awarded to agencies and students in Montgomery County.
To learn more, visit https://www.mccf-in.org/unrestricted-grant-cycle to review the eligibility guidelines and learn about the application process. Direct questions to Cheryl Keim, Grants & Community Relations Director, at 765-362-1267 or cheryl@mccf-in.org.
