Foundation awards $143K to 14 organizations

The Wayne County Foundation awarded 14 local organizations $143,807 through its second grant cycle and other grant opportunities.

The 11 organizations funded through the year’s second grant cycle are:

• Brighter Path Inc., $15,000 to purchase three therapy horses for its equine therapy programs. 
• Centerville Senior High School, $7,500 to help the special education department purchase and train an emotional support dog that will work with students in seventh to 12th grade.  
• Central United Methodist Church, $10,597 to replace rusted play equipment and install a privacy fence.  
• Communities in Schools of Wayne County, $15,000 to fund the site coordination program during the 2024-25 school year.  
• Every Child Can Read Inc., $15,000 to support early literacy initiatives in Wayne County through K-Ready book-giving programs and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
• Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, $5,330 to support the Richmond Girl Scout Day Camp.
• Golay Community Center, $7,780 to make facility flooring improvements.  
• Good News Habitat for Humanity, $15,000 to support an upcoming house build in Richmond.  
• Oak Park Church, $15,000 to launch a new program designed to equip individuals ages 10 to 18 with life skills.  
• Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District, $8,000 to provide educational outreach programs on the importance of natural resources conservation and install a shed for storing outreach materials and supplies. 
• Wayne Township Trustee in Wayne County, $5,000 for two eight-week Introduction to Spanish for Professionals workshops geared toward nonprofit professionals and service providers.  

Two organizations received foundation mini-grants designed to serve smaller projects, short-term programs or opportunities requiring immediate funding. Those recipients are:

• Boy Scouts of America, $5,000 to support Wayne County Boy Scout camp scholarships, registration fees and uniform expenses.  
• Richmond Art Museum, $4,600 for acquisition of “Spanish Town Jamaica Scene” by De Scott Evans, a piece that RAM originally exhibited in 1902. The Charles and Maxine Matthews Arts Fund funded this grant.

The initial grant cycle provided funding to one additional organization:

• New Testament Church of Christ, $15,000 to purchase furniture and supplies for childcare capacity and enrolling infants through 2-year-olds. 

The foundation will begin accepting applications Aug. 1 for its third grant cycle.