Five nonprofits awarded grants from Marion County and HOMEBANK endowment funds

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Five local nonprofit organizations recently were honored with grants from the Marion County Endowment Fund and the HOMEBANK Fund, held at the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri. The grants mark the ninth annual grant awards presented from the Marion County Endowment.

Recipients of the 2024 Marion County Endowment Fund grant awards were:

• Douglass Community Services for the Kids in Motion program.
• Coyote Hill for Foster Family Community Groups.
• CHART Teen Task Force for safe sexuality education in Northeast Missouri schools.
• Northeast Independent Living Services for durable medical equipment.

“We are happy to be able to support worthy charitable organizations in Marion County. Their boards and other volunteers work with such dedication to help the citizens of our community, both adults and especially children, have a happy and healthy quality of life,” Marilyn Hall, Marion County Fund Council Chair, said in a press release.

The Marion County Fund Council recommends grants from the HOMEBANK Fund, which supports charitable projects in Marion County. This year’s HOMEBANK Fund grant was awarded to Palmyra Christian Academy for new playground construction.

The Marion County Fund Council, made up of local volunteers, annually evaluates applications submitted by Marion County nonprofit organizations through the Community Foundation’s Community Grant program.  Since the Marion County Endowment Fund’s first grants in 2015, more than $30,000 has been awarded to nonprofits advancing the quality of life in Marion County.

“We hope that current and future donors will continue to contribute to the Marion County Endowment Fund so that it will grow well into the future and be a viable source of funding for these organizations,” Hall said.

The Marion County Endowment Fund is a permanently endowed charitable fund exclusively for the benefit of Marion County. It is a communal fund that anyone can give to and help strengthen the quality of life in Marion County. Gifts made to the fund are invested for long-term growth and grants are made from earnings, providing a permanent, steady source of support for local needs and opportunities.

“The Marion County Endowment Fund is a way to ‘keep local money working for local causes,’” Hall said. “Anyone can make a gift to the Marion County Endowment Fund at any time and be confident that their gift is more than a donation. It’s an investment into the future of Marion County.”

Gifts to the Community Foundation for the Marion County Endowment Fund are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Gifts of cash, securities and other appreciated assets, estates or trusts, IRAs, life insurance and even grain and farmland are accepted and will help ensure the future of Marion County.

To make gifts to support future grantmaking in Marion County or to learn more about the fund, contact Hall at 573-231-5383 or hmarilyn266@gmail.com.

To learn more about the Community Foundation, contact Program Manager Bailee Duesterhaus at 217-222-1237 or bduesterhaus@mycommunityfoundation.org.

The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri builds permanent charitable funds to assist area nonprofits and communities. Since 1997, the Community Foundation has made more than $18 million in grants. It serves 12 counties: Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike in Illinois and Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Shelby and Monroe in Missouri.