Cass County Community Foundation awards competitive grants for 2026
Last Updated on September 27, 2026 by Cass County Community Foundation
The Cass County Community Foundation held a press conference and reception to announce the recipients of the 2026 CCCF Competitive Grant Awards on September 23rd 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 organizations totaling $214,576.36.
Deanna Crispen, President & CEO shared, “This was an especially challenging year for our Grants Committee. We had nearly $600,000 in requests and a little more than $214,000 available for Competitive Grants. The quality of the proposals was outstanding, and the committee had some very difficult decisions to make.”
The Grants Committee began the year with an allocation of $240,000 for CCCF’s two community grant programs. Earlier this summer, the committee recommended $25,327 in Opportunity Grants for projects requesting $5,000 or less, leaving approximately $214,673 available for the Competitive Grant cycle. As committee members reviewed the Competitive Grant applications and interviewed representatives from the organizations, they were particularly impressed by the strength of the projects presented.
Organizations are required to first send a letter expressing their desire to apply and briefly explain their project and costs. After the initial letters are evaluated, organizations moving forward are invited to submit full proposals. Finally, each organization moving forward is invited to make a brief presentation before the committee to further explain the project and answer questions. Funding for community grants is made possible through the generosity of donors to CCCF’s unrestricted community endowments. Because those gifts are permanently endowed, they continue generating resources to meet changing community needs year after year.
Currently, gifts to CCCF’s general unrestricted endowment funds are eligible for a $2-for-$1 match from Lilly Endowment Inc. That means for every $1 contributed, Lilly Endowment adds $2—tripling the impact of a donor’s gift and increasing the permanent resources available to support grants like these for generations to come.
The following is a list of the 2026 Community Competitive Grant Award recipients and their projects:
2026 Grant Cycle Award Recommendations are:
- Cass County 4H Assoc. $14,295 for a new Shooting Sport Pavilion
- The Neal Home $22,000 for a furnace system and plumbing repairs
- The Berry Boosters $15,000 JV/JR High Softball Field Scoreboard
- Indiana Health Centers $15,000 for healthcare equipment
- Indiana Museum of Art $35,000 for installation of new Gavin sculpture
- Young America Fire Dept $38,281.36 for 4-SCBA air packs
- Lewis Cass Youth League $75,000 repairs and upgrade to Ball Fields
Total: $214,576.36
Total 2026 Opportunity Grants awarded in July are $25,327.
Total for 2026 Grant Cycle $239,903.36.
Following the announcement of the awards, Crispen shared, ”We are grateful to the committee members for their commitment to the process and the time they gave to serve. Every organization that applied is doing important work in our community. When the needs and opportunities are greater than the dollars available, these decisions are never easy.”
Crispen continued, “As we celebrate our thirty-three years of “For Good, For Ever,” we are reminded that these grants are possible because generations of people have believed in Cass County and invested in its future. We are grateful for that trust, and our board and staff remain committed to being good stewards of those gifts—not just for today, but for the generations that will follow us.”
For more information about the Cass County Community Foundation, its grant programs, or the current $2-for-$1 Lilly Endowment matching opportunity, please call 574-722-2200.
SOURCE: News release from Cass County Community Foundation