MCCF awards $149,214 in grants
Helping make local innovative programs possible
The Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) announced the Spring 2021 grant awards from Community Funds totaling $122,595 and the Ralph C. Vonnegut Jr. Fund totaling $6,619. Due to COVID-19, a limited in-person awards presentation took place this grant cycle. Multi-year grants approved prior rounds were also issued with $10,000 from the Community Funds and $10,000 from the Ralph C. Vonnegut Jr Fund.
ancilla College of Marian University is grateful for the investment from the Marshall County Community Foundation as we launch new, innovative academic programs to meet the educational and economic needs of Marshall county and the entire northern Indiana region.
-Joe Heidt, Chancellor ACMU
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 $4.18 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 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 John and Kay Finlay Community Fund, the Philip and Sylvia Bieghler Community Fund, and the Paul and Carol Nye Community Fund.
All contributions to unrestricted funds only are currently eligible for a 2:1 GIFT VII match from Lilly Endowment Inc. 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 Fund 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.
• Ancilla College of Marian University: $25,000 to support the growth of new academic programs for ACMU.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Southern Lake Michigan Region: $15,000 to support youth mentoring program for elementary and middle school students at Culver Community Schools.
• Boys & Girls Club of Marshall County: $9,935 to support the CODE in CLASS (CIC) program
• Corvilla Inc.: $5,760 to purchase appliances and commercial kiln for new Bremen location providing care for adults with disabilities, day and employment services and supported living services.
• Culver Community Schools: $2,500 to provide materials and supplies for childcare program at Culver Community Schools.
• Dustin’s Place: $14,750 for start-up and expansion costs for staffing, storage facility, and a family check-in station.
• Marshall County Neighborhood Center: $15,000 to operations support for food/clothing/household pantry providing basic needs to vulnerable families.
• The Time is Now: $2,150 to support start-up costs for new support center assisting survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence.
• Tippecanoe Improvement Association: $22,500 to support a community park development project.
• United Way of Marshall County: $10,000 in support of the Marshall County Blue Zones Phase 1 Community Development and Readiness Assessment. Multi-year grants
$10,000 was awarded from Community Funds for the Marshall County Crossroads Stellar project for Culver biking/walking trails and the Beach Lodge.
Ralph C. Vonnegut Jr. Grants
The Ralph C. Vonnegut Jr. Fund was established to provide annual funding for environmental, educational, or recreational projects directly related to Lake Maxinkuckee. This grant cycle, $2,000 was awarded to the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund to purchase water sampling equipment and supplies and $4,619 was awarded to Maxinkuckee Adventure Sailing to purchase one Zest sailboat and accessories.
Multi-year grants
$10,000 was awarded from the Vonnegut Fund for the Marshall County Crossroads Stellar project for Culver biking/walking trails and the Beach Lodge.
About the Marshall County Community Foundation
The Marshall County Community Foundation is a public charity with local roots that helps great ideas take flight through endowment philanthropy. Since 1991, donors to the Marshall County Community Foundation have built the community’s assets currently valued at more than $42.1 million and have returned over $19.5 million to Marshall County communities in grants and scholarships, $4.18 million from Community Funds. For more information about the Foundation, call 574.935.9159, or visit www.marshallcountycf.org.