Grants available for Ross County nonprofits through Community Foundations, Inc.

COLUMBUS — Community Foundations, an affiliate of The Columbus Foundation, is accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations serving Ross County in the areas of cultural development, health and human welfare, economic development and underprivileged youth. The grants are made possible through the generosity of the Robert E. and Genevieve B. Schaefer Fund and the Burton E. Stevenson Fund.

The Robert E. and Genevieve B. Schaefer Fund was established in 1989 by Robert E. Schaefer, a longtime Chillicothe resident, to provide for the cultural development, health and human welfare and economic development of Chillicothe and Ross County. A veteran newspaperman, Schaefer, who died in 1997, served the community for more than 60 years. He joined the Chillicothe Gazette in 1938 and began a career that spanned 36 years. It was Schaefer’s hope that these annual contributions to the community would inspire others with charitable intent to impact the community.

The Burton E. Stevenson Fund was established in 1992 by Burton Egbert Stevenson, who was born in Chillicothe. He married Elizabeth Shepard Butler in 1895 and returned to Chillicothe where he was the librarian for more than 60 years. During World War I, Stevenson was instrumental in efforts to connect soldiers to periodicals from their hometowns and in establishing a library at Camp Sherman. As part of his legacy, Stevenson created this fund to support underprivileged youth in Ross County.

Nonprofits interested in applying for these grants can do so at cbusfdn.org/regionalfunds. The Robert E. and Genevieve B. Schaefer grant application is due by Oct. 27 and the Burton E. Stevenson grant application is due by Dec. 1.

For more information on grant opportunities visit columbusfoundation.org or call 614-251-4000.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Grants available for Ross County nonprofits