Lawrence County Community Foundation awards $78k in grants

The Times-Mail
·3 min read
An Impact grant is presentated to the Springville Community Association for their “Come On In” project. They received a $3,900 Impact Grant to continue the restoration of the Springville Gym, which was destroyed by fire in 2016. Pictured left to right: Hope Flores, CFP CEO; representing the Springville Community Association: Alexandra Edwards, Denny Godsey, Francie Godsey, Marilyn Kimmel, Amy Voorhies, Ken Thompson, and Albert Cross.

The Lawrence County Community Foundation Board of Directors awarded over $70,000 in Impact Grants to 18 local agencies through the 2023 LCCF Open Grant Cycle, according to a news release. An additional $8,200 was awarded in Boost Grants to five organizations. Boost Grants have a $2,000 cap and are for smaller projects or general support for an organization.

Brent Maudlin, LCCF grants committee chair, said, “This year, more so than past years, we had a long list of applicants with projects covering one end of the county to the other. The committee was very thoughtful and carefully considered every application. The grant requests surpassed the dollars available, and the committee had to make tough decisions. We know the projects awarded will impact many segments of the community and we’re thankful for all the volunteers that will use these grant dollars along with their hard work to grow our community one project at a time.”

LCCF also issued Challenge Grants totaling $24,572 to three organizations. A challenge grant provides matching funds, helping organizations gain public awareness of their project goals and raise funds for their mission. Once the challenge amount is raised, a grant check is presented to the organization. Challenge Grants were issued to the following organizations:

  • The City of Mitchell for improvements to the basketball court at Memorial Park. Once the challenge is met, Mitchell will receive a $10,472 grant to help fund this project.

  • The Lawrence County Horse & Pony Club (Lawrence County 4-H Council) applied for a grant to expand their warm-up arena to accommodate their growing club. They will be awarded a $6,500 grant once their challenge is met.

  • Junior Stars, Inc. is a newly formed organization to support youth football. Once their challenge is met, they will receive a $7,600 grant to purchase football equipment. Junior Stars met their challenge and were awarded their grant.

The Lawrence County Community Foundation, a public charity, is governed by a volunteer board whose mission is to improve the quality of life in Lawrence County for this generation and generations to come. The Community Foundation accepts and manages individual and business contributions made to permanent endowments, some of which fund the annual grant cycle.

For more information on how you can help improve the quality of life in Lawrence County, contact Hope Flores at (812) 279-2215 or hope@cfpartner.org.

Impact Grants and Projects:

  • BNLHS Band & Music Boosters, And the Beat Goes On

  • Friends of Spring Mill State Park, Spring Mill Tandem Kayaks

  • Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Supplemental Food 2023

  • Hope Resource Center, Privacy and Security

  • Knights of Columbus, Council 1166 (St. Vincent de Paul Church), Multi-Sensory Room 2023

  • Lawrence County Cancer Patient Services, Soothing the Pain

  • Lawrence County Soil & Water Conservation District – Putting Down Roots in the Bedford Tree Nursery

  • Mitchell Community Public Library, Children’s Department Early Learning Upgrade

  • Mitchell Community Schools, Bringing Industry 4.0 at Mitchell High School

  • Mitchell Community Schools, MJHS Project Based Learning Community 5K & Food Drive

  • Pleasant Run Park, Inc., Playground Palooza Project

  • Salvation Army Lawrence County, Emergency Assistance Program

  • Shawswick Township Trustee, Gas Monitors

  • Shawswick Volunteer Fire Department, Protect and Preserve

  • Springville Community Academy, Medical Office Restoration

  • Springville Community Association, Come On In

  • Superior Steam (Lawrence County 4-H Council), Superior STEAM OSMO Education

  • White River Humane Society, Stop the Cycle and Make a Difference

  • Youth First, Mental Health Supports for Mitchell Students

Boost Grants and Projects:

  • Indian Creek Volunteer Fire Department, SCBA Bottles

  • Indiana Health Center, Lawrence County, Serving Lawrence County

  • Lawrence County Historical & Genealogical Society, Preserving Our Past – DMH Collection

  • Mitchell Community Schools, MHS Agriculture/Horticulture Agribusiness

  • NLCS Robotics Booster Club, Robotics

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Community Foundation awards $78k in grants to local groups