MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—Marion Community Foundation is making $50,000 in awards available for its 2024 Racial Equity & Justice Grants Program. Applications for the program are available now through February 22.
“Racial equity and justice must be one of the core values of our community and Marion Community Foundation hopes this grant program will offer nonprofits a catalyst to take a step forward; a step towards what the Foundation envisions for our community – one that is generous, educated, healthy, collaborative, and vibrant,” said Dean Jacob, President and CEO.
The Racial Equity & Justice Grants Program, now in its fourth year, awards grants competitively to any charitable non-profit 501(c)(3) organization or equivalent — which includes churches, schools, and governmental entities — looking to improve issues of equity and justice in Marion County (Ohio). Grants may be for new or existing programs. Applications received during the next six weeks will be reviewed by the selection committee by late April and awards announced in May 2024.
The decisions on how much and to whom grants will be made are the work of a volunteer committee of Marion Community Foundation and its board of directors. The selection committee looks for applications which identify and detail a community need and offer a solution that clearly states an effective plan to meet that need.
One of the programs funded in 2023 was a capacity building effort by Marion’s Peace and Freedom Committee, best known for their Martin Luther King, Jr. Day breakfast and awards ceremony. The project seeks to encourage children, including children of color, to develop a sense of belonging in the community and to improve literacy. These goals are being addressed by providing books, including Color Me Friend and Missing Daddy, to area elementary schools. Both books provide examples of compassion and inclusion by authors who are women of color and role models of community.
“The goal of Marion Community Foundation with our Racial Equity and Justice grants is to foster innovative programs for leaders at every level to use their power, platforms, and resources to help people overcome challenges and build a better community,” said Jacob. “Moving forward takes small steps, is slow and continuous, and essential for a community that is working to value all people.”
The Black Heritage Council of Marion was a 2023 grant recipient for their Strengthening African American Families program. This prevention program is a collaborative effort by the Black Heritage Council, Drug-Free Marion, and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Marion, drawing on each organization’s strengths to help local African American youth develop resilience and avoid the consequences associated with poverty and other negative influences. The program’s goal is to save young people’s futures through community and family involvement.
Additional information on the Racial Equity & Justice Grants Program is available by contacting the Foundation’s Director of Programs, Julie Prettyman, at 740-387-9704 or by email at JuliePrettyman@MarionCommunityFoundation.org. The application can be found online by visiting MarionCommunityFoundation.org, hovering over the “Grants” tab, and selecting “Apply.”