MCCF Awards Over $330,000 to Nonprofits

The Montgomery County Community Foundation was pleased to announce awards for the second and final grant cycle of 2022 at a gathering on November 29 at the MCCF office. We were joined by numerous nonprofit representatives as fourteen awards were made, totaling $330,770! Continue reading below for more information on each one.

Early Childhood Education

Fuzzy Bear Preschool and Daycare, $23,410

• Striving to create a safe and healthy building for children and staff, the funds will be used for a variety of building improvements such as new staff restroom upstairs, a screened in porch, painting, new ceiling fans, and more.

New Beginnings Child Care, $80,080

• This award will provide transition support as they move from being a ministry affiliated with a church, to a nonprofit entity of their own. This process brings many adjustments and changes. Right-sizing the staff will allow them, the largest childcare provider in the county, to function more effectively and efficiently.

Wilson Preschool, Crawfordsville School Corp., $11,000

• A preschool climbing wall will be installed in the school’s gymnasium. Climbing wall activities promote gross motor development, and are associated with a greater likelihood of success in academics and in social/emotional development. It will also provide a fun indoor activity when outdoor recess isn’t possible. 

Education

North Montgomery School Corporation, $16,700

• Detect, Deter, Intervene, and Educate. This is the approach the corporation is taking on vaping. Funds will be used to purchase and install vape detectors at North Montgomery Middle School. Along with preventative education, an intervention course has been developed for those found to be vaping.

Montgomery County Educational Foundation, $25,000 

• MCEF offers grants to local teachers. Teachers may apply for grants to support enrichment projects and activities that aren’t otherwise funded by the school budget. 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 & Welfare of students corporation-wide who need financial assistance with expenses for eye exams, glasses, dental care, medications, and mental health assessments. Funds are also used for CPR training and supplies, and various student health education.

History, Arts, & Culture

Athens Arts Gallery, $8,100

• Athens will host a National Juried Exhibition in the summer/fall of 2023. This will be their sixth Salon and third Juried National Exhibition. In an excerpt from their request, Athens states, “the experience of art is why cities are loved not just lived in. A loved city is supported by its citizens.”

Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, $10,500

• This storytelling grant will include the nationally renowned traveling exhibit, The Amazing Castle. Additional programming, such as professional storytellers and a theater workshop will complement the exhibit.

Human Services

Dusk to Dawn Bereavement, $16,145

• Education and Counseling: Building a Stronger Healthier Community is the theme for their 10th Anniversary Celebration. A variety of events geared to bereavement and mental health will take place throughout the year. Look for the calendar of events early next year.

Food Finders Food Bank, $5,000

• According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, Montgomery County’s food insecurity rate is 11.5%. Over half don’t quality for SNAP meaning they rely on the charitable food sources. These funds will help support three Mobile Food Pantries in Montgomery County in 2023.

Grace and Mercy Food Pantry, $50,000

• Since early 2021, the number of families being served each month has doubled. These funds will be used to purchase a sprinter-type van to pick up food from their various suppliers, such as Walmart, Food Finders, and Caito’s. Any excess funds will be used to buy additional food.

Women’s Resource Center, $7,000

• Funds will be used for medical services and for items for the Great Expectation’s educational program. WRC provides an invaluable link to the local health care system. 

Youth

Boys & Girls Club, $32,500

• Twenty-two years of serving children and their families has taken a toll on the club’s flooring. Funds will be used to install new LVT flooring throughout the building, except for the gymnasium and the multipurpose room.

Montgomery County 4-H, $35,335

• 4-H building improvements and equipment will allow the facility to better accommodate educational programs for youth and for the community. Safety accommodations for the new range hood will be made and new audio visual equipment and an ice machine will be purchased.