Carman Area Foundation Grants Hit Record Value

Twenty-seven local organizations and projects benefited from annual funding handed out by the Carman Area Foundation this spring. The grants, which reached a record value this year, were doled out during the Foundation's annual Celebration Evening on Friday.

"Pretty well every year there's between twenty-four and twenty-six organizations that do grant applications and that's approximately the number we would grant out as well," explains Chair Barry Gosnell.

Gosnell adds the total value of the 2016 grants was $68,685 compared to $49,715 in 2015. "We changed the percentage a little bit of what we hand out.".

He goes on to say that increased community support helped contribute to that record value as well, adding the amount of funds raised during the Celebration Evening continue to increase each year. Friday's celebration was the 10th annual event.

Meantime, the Carman Area Foundation is continuing its support of the Carman Collegiate Youth in Philanthropy group. Gosnell explains the YIP group was started about four years ago by the Thomas Sill Foundation.

"They contributed thirty-five hundred dollars a year to the youth group and supplied that money for three years with the agreement that the Carman and Area Foundation would continue it at least for another three years following that, so, this is our first year contributing directly from the Foundation to that fund."

The YIP group also hosts its own fund raisers throughout the year and Gosnell says those donations combined with the Foundation funding, it was able to hand out $4,000 this year.