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The Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) announced the Spring 2023 grant awards from Community Funds totaling $107,981 and the Ralph C. Vonnegut Jr. Fund totaling $18,171.02.
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 Spring 2023 grant awards will fund a wide variety of projects and programs.
MCCF Community Fund grant awardees were recognized at an awards event on April 6 at the Marshall County Philanthropy Center.
Community Fund Grants
Community 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.
The first grants from unrestricted Community Funds at MCCF were awarded in 1995; since then, the MCCF has awarded over $4.3 million in total grants from these funds alone. In addition to the Marshall County Community Fund, the following ‘named’ unrestricted funds support competitive grant rounds in Marshall County. These funds include the Barbara and Ralph Winters Community Fund, the Billy and Vickie Ellinger Community Fund, 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 Gibson Community Fund, the John and Kay Finlay Community Fund, the Paul and Carol Nye Community Fund, the Philip and Sylvia Bieghler Community Fund, and the Will and June Erwin Community Fund.
Spring 2023 Community Fund Grants
- Argos Parks and Recreation Department: $10,000 in a challenge grant to revitalize the Argos Memorial Park playground.
- Bremen Pickleball Club: $10,000 toward the construction of eight stand-alone pickleball courts in the Sunnyside Park area.
- Hospice Foundation: $25,000 for support of the capital campaign to renovate a new location at 1419 N Michigan St, Plymouth, and expand and enhance programs and services for residents of Marshall, Fulton, and Starke Counties.
- Marshall County Blueberry Festival: $3,500 to purchase a new Blueberry Hank and revamp Hank’s House.
- Marshall County Council on Aging: $11,981 for a medium transit bus to provide safe and reliable public transportation in Marshall County.
- Marshall County Crossroads: $10,000 to support the Marshall County Collaborative Council Study facilitated by enFocus.
- Marshall County Historical Society: $3,500 to upgrade their website as a learning hub and to create and implement a new logo.
- Marshall County Solid Waste Management District: $5,000 toward the Yard Waste Collection Facility Feasibility Study.
- Plymouth Junior League: $10,000 for the construction of a new infield and dugouts in Packard Woods.
- Plymouth Park Department: $10,000 to construct additional pickleballs courts in Centennial Park.
- Potawatomi Wildlife Park: $9,000 toward the purchase of an accessible and safe maintenance utility vehicle.
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 in Culver. This grant cycle, $18,671.02 in total grants were awarded to the following groups:
- Lake Maxinkuckee Association: $15,671.02 for a speed awareness initiative and intelligence-based policing.
- Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund: $2,500 for a dragonfly building mural project.
