The Small Grants Program started in 2006 as a way to direct smaller funds to nonprofit organizations in Greene County, Ohio. Bringing together the resources of charitable individuals with the needs of our area, today and coming years, is the goal of Greene Giving’s small grants program. As each day continues to bring new challenges, Greene Giving strives to keep abreast of issues of concern to people living and working in the region.
Over the years, Greene Giving has awarded over $200,000 in these grants that are typically $1,000 or less to approximately 240 different causes in our county. Any nonprofit organizations in Greene County, Ohio that meet the requirements for the program may apply.
All applications are researched by the Greene Giving Philanthropy Committee, which includes volunteers of diverse backgrounds and experiences. This research ensures charitable groups and organizations such as libraries, parks and schools applying for grants meet the Community Foundation’s guidelines and exhibit the capability to achieve their project’s objectives. All requests approved by the Philanthropy Committee then go to Greene Giving’s Board of Directors for a final decision.
The Philanthropy Committee for Greene Giving then follows up with all grantees to assure the grants’ success.
We spoke with two different organizations in our community to learn more about how the Small Grants Program has impacted their organizations.
Bellbrook Eagle Eats
The Bellbrook Eagle Eats program, run by the Bellbrook National Honor Society, applied for a small grant in March of 2020.
It came to the attention of The National Honor Society at Bellbrook High School that the students throughout their community that suffer from food insecurity did not have regular access to meals on the weekends. By applying to the small grants program, they were able to start a lunch packing program to help offset the effects of food insecurity in the district by providing weekend lunches to the kids who rely on the school for their weekly meals.
One Bistro
One Bistro is a pay what you can cafe in Xenia, Ohio with a mission to provide a place where neighbors come together as one community and eat.
In the spring of 2020, One Bistro was looking at taking on a refresh and recovery mission for their space. Specifically, they wanted to take care of some painting and have the floors refurbished. They would need to be closed during this time and wanted to be as conscientious of their expenses with the project.
When asked how receiving the grant impacted their business, One Bistro said, “When you’re a nonprofit pay-what-you-can cafe, receiving a grant for something like refurbishing the floors means that we can instead reallocate our spending to help us stay focused on our mission, rather than putting it into refurbishing our floors.”
One Bistro also shared the importance of receiving smaller grants for one-off needs or projects:
“Sometimes all you need is a smaller grant for a piece of equipment or refurbishing a floor. Those make a big impact for smaller nonprofits so we can continue to focus on our mission of feeding people instead of having to focus on those capital expenses. Greene Giving makes it very easy to apply as well, which is very helpful for small nonprofits that have limited time and resources.”
You can visit One Bistro at 87 East Main Street Xenia, Ohio 45385 visit their website at https://onebistro.org/ or visit their Facebook.
To learn more about the Small Grants Program, to apply, or to donate, visit our website at greenegiving.org/small-grants-program/
