Bedford County Community Fund Awards First Annual Grants
The Bedford County Community Fund, an endowment established at CFA to respond to diverse and evolving needs in Bedford County forever, has achieved a historic turning point. On Wednesday, the fund’s first annual grant awards were announced.
Nine Bedford County nonprofits received funding:
• Bedford County Agricultural Society: $500
• Bedford County Chamber Foundation: $500
• Bedford County Pink Ribbon Fund: $250
• Bedford County Players Inc.: $500
• Breezewood Volunteer Fire Company: $500
• Pleasantville Area Recreational Ball League: $500
• United Way of Bedford County: $500
• National Museum of the American Coverlet: $250
• Bedford Heritage Trust: $500
Those grants, totaling $4,000, also leveraged an additional $20,350 from CFA’s regular Fall Grant awards.
Officials from CFA and the Bedford County Community Fund made the announcement at the historic Coffee Pot at the Bedford County Fairgrounds. The Bedford County Agricultural Society, which received a total of $2,500 from CFA Fall grants and the Bedford County Community Fund grant, will use the funding to make much needed upgrades. Because it’s such an unusual structure, repairs to leaky windows and a refurbishment of the spout are expensive—but they are also critical for the structure’s long-term viability. Society members are working to host regular events and attract new and returning visitors so the building can continue to be one of Bedford County’s most memorable destinations.
The grant awards mark an important milestone for the Bedford County Community Fund: Last holiday season, people from across the county responded to a special appeal to achieve and exceed a $100,000 goal so annual grantmaking could begin, CFA Bedford County Director Dina McGee said.
“This is just the beginning of what the Bedford County Community Fund can do,” McGee said. “We are so appreciative of everyone who helped us get to this point, to everyone who decided to give—from $25 up to $10,000. I know each of these nonprofits will put their grants to good work to help our friends and neighbors and help our community grow.”
The fund is part of CFA’s Bedford County Endowments, a group of more than 50 funds that address local needs and an important part of the foundation’s overall vision to uplift the entire region, CFA President Mike Kane said.
“In Bedford County and across every county we serve, our community members demonstrate time and again a commitment to care for one another today and always,” Kane said. “We are honored to announce the first grants from the fund, which are a testament to the generosity and neighborliness we see in our communities. We are also grateful to the Bedford County Advisory Committee members who helped the fund grow, and we are excited to see what the future holds.”
Because the fund is an endowment, the principal can never be spent, so the fund, by design, had to reach $100,000 for investment earnings to become available for distribution. Earnings will be distributed as grants and also reinvested into the principal, so the fund will continue to grow in perpetuity. CLICK HERE to read more about the Bedford County Endowments or to make a simple, secure online donation to the Bedford County Community Fund.
