Indiana’s official 200th birthday is December 11, 2016, but initiatives across the state will commemorate the bicentennial leading up to and during 2016 and into the future. Indiana’s past and present are worth celebrating and there are plenty of opportunities for local celebrations, projects and programs to reflect upon 200 years of progress with genuine Hoosier pride and ingenuity. The Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) recently announced awards for a special grant round to recognize this important milestone in our state’s history and to encourage local participation in the celebration.
Applications focused on Indiana’s 2016 Bicentennial Celebration were accepted for this special grant round. Up to $10,000 was available for distribution from MCCF’s Community Fund, one of the most flexible and responsive of the Foundation’s 325 total funds.
The MCCF Community Fund annually distributes more than $180,000 in grants to support special projects and programs across Marshall County. During the special Bicentennial Grant Round, $9,018 was awarded to six Marshall County organizations for the following projects:
- Bremen OktoberFest, Inc – $2,000 to fund a year of community activities to celebrate history, culture and environment
- Marshall County Community Orchestra – $400 to purchase music for the “Celebrations at Lincoln Center” concert, educating the audience about the history of Indiana, its writings and its music
- Marshall County Historical Society, Inc – $618 to create a colorful placemat to be printed and distributed county-wide to bring awareness of the bicentennial year
- Plymouth Arts Commission Inc. dba Encore Performing Arts – $2,000 to produce a musical review honoring Cole Porter
- Potawatomi Wildlife Park – $2,000 to design and purchase custom high pressure laminate signage to interpret various historic and natural features
- Wythougan Valley Preservation Council, Inc – $2,000 to complete a listing of all eligible districts in Marshall County to the National Register of Historic Places
About the Marshall County Community Foundation
The Marshall County Community Foundation is a public charity with local roots that helps great ideas take flight through endowment philanthropy. Since 1991, donors to the Marshall County Community Foundation have built the community’s assets currently valued at more than $31 million and have returned over $12 million to support charitable interests and causes throughout Marshall County.
Contributions to the MCCF Community Fund help Marshall County communities become stronger and healthier. Through a generous opportunity from Lilly Endowment, current gifts to the MCCF Community Fund may be matched $1 for $1. To learn more, call the Marshall County Community Foundation at 574.935.9159 or visit www.marshallcountycf.org.
