Cass County Community Foundation awards $194,136.30 in 2024 CCCF Competitive Community Grants
Last Updated on October 1, 2024 by Cass County Communication Network
SOURCE: News release from Cass County Community Foundation
The Cass County Community Foundation held a press conference and reception to announce the recipients of the 2024 CCCF Competitive Community Grant Awards on October 1, 2024, at the foundation office, 729 E. Market Street. Attendees included representatives of the recipient organizations, as well as donors, board members, volunteers, and members of the media. This year, seven grants were awarded to six organizations totaling $194,136.30.
Deanna Crispen, President & CEO shared, “The grants committee began their work with an allocation of $225,000. When the committee met earlier this summer to review and evaluate opportunity grant proposals of $5,000 or less, Chairman, Mike Shannon presented the board with a recommendation of $29,649 leaving the competitive grants a pool of $195,351 to allocate to proposals totaling almost $400,000.
During the Competitive Grant Cycle evaluation, the committee began their work with a review of the proposals. As the committee worked through the process and especially after interviewing the organizations about their projects, the committee was torn by the outstanding quality of the requests and felt they could justify additional support from the Board of Directors and the directors agreed.
Organizations are required to first sent a letter expressing their desire to apply and briefly explain their project and costs. After the initial letters were evaluated, organizations moving forward in the process were invited to submit full proposals. Finally, each organization was invited to make a brief presentation before the committee to explain further and answer any questions the committee might still have about their proposal. Funding for community grants is made possible through the generosity of donors to CCCF’s unrestricted community endowments.
The following is a list of the 2024 Community Competitive Grant Award recipients and their projects:
2024 Grant Cycle Award Recommendations are:
Cass County 4H Association $13,000 for paving project
Young America Lions Club $19,524 for six optical scanners
Pioneer Youth League $31,612.30 for playing field renovations.
Young America Fire Department $14,000 for a generator and $25,000 in matching funds towards a new cascade system for a total of $39,000.
Galveston Fire Department $25,000 in matching funds for a cascade system
Cass County Historical Society $38,000 for roofing repairs
Cass County Historical Society $28,000 for signage at downtown
Total: $194,136.30
Total 2024 Opportunity Grants awarded in July are $29,649.00.
Total for 2024 Grant Cycle: $223,185.30.
Following the announcement of the awards, Crispen shared, ”One of our proposals requested AEDs for the 4H Fairgrounds and Young America area. Thanks to the Angelo Chogas Fund at CCCF, these will be purchased through the Chogas Fund and not the Competitive Grants Funds.”
Crispen continued, “As we celebrate our thirty-one years of “For Good, For Ever, the board and staff at CCCF acknowledge the tremendous support of the community. We are grateful for that trust and continue to work diligently as stewards of the gifts entrusted to us for the future.”
For more information, please call the Cass County Community Foundation at 574-722-2200.