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The Ritchie County Community Foundation, an affiliate of Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, announces the availability of grants for Ritchie County educators seeking support for professional development opportunities and for academic school improvement projects at Ritchie County schools through the O. Eugene and Mary Scott Smith Memorial Fund.
The Fund provides grants for individual teachers who are seeking to further their education, for groups of teachers pursuing professional development opportunities, and for schools for projects that improve the academic curriculum. Funds are not available for athletic projects at schools. Applications, whether for support for individual teachers, groups of teachers, or for academic improvement projects, must be submitted through a Ritchie County school. The application deadline is February 15. Schools must apply using the Foundation’s online Community Action Grant application form, which is available on the Foundation’s website.
The Fund honors Gene and Mary Smith, who were natives of Ritchie County and who were educated in Ritchie County schools. Gene and Mary instilled their love of education in their eight children who all attended Ritchie County schools. Three of them became teachers. Because of Gene and Mary’s influence, there are more than forty college degrees including two doctorates in their large, extended family.
Schools are encouraged to apply for this grant opportunity. Project requests also will be considered for support from other Foundation grantmaking funds, including funds available from the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. For questions or more information, contact Marian Clowes toll-free at 866-428-4438 or marian.clowes@pacfwv.com.
Recognizing that the impact of the COVID pandemic has been significant on our region, area residents, businesses, foundations, and organizations have responded generously by donating more than $361,000 to the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation’s (PACF) Safety Net Fund and Hunger Fund.
As a result, since March, the PACF has awarded $302,000 in grants to area nonprofit organizations to address COVID-19 related needs, including $43,990 in new grants in its sixth round of pandemic response. Several of the recent grants were awarded through partnership with the Sisters Health Foundation (noted with an *). Agencies that received funding during the PACF’s sixth round of grants include:
The PACF is committed to granting 100% of donations received for COVID-19 relief back into the region. Organizations that have needs related to COVID impact are encouraged to contact the Foundation at info@pacfwv.com or 304-428-4438 to inquire about support.
Donations to support the PACF’s Hunger Fund and Safety Net Fund are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. To learn more about these funds and the work that the Foundation is doing to address COVID-19 in our region, visit www.pacfwv.com/COVID19.
The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates of Doddridge County, Ritchie County, and the Little Kanawha Area (PACF) is currently accepting applications for grants for the spring cycle of its Community Action Grants Program. The Foundation’s application process is online; the application deadline is midnight on February 15. Organizations apply to the Foundation and/or any of the affiliates on the same online application form, the Foundation’s Community Action Grants Application. To access the online application form, visit the Foundation’s website, www.pacfwv.com/Grants.
The PACF also announces that it has launched a new platform for online applications. To learn about the new application process and to hear updates on the Foundation’s grantmaking priorities, organizations are invited to attend one of two free webinars offered by the PACF in January:
To register, send an e-mail to marian.clowes@pacfwv.com. Registrants will be provided with a Zoom link for the webinar.
To be considered for a Community Action Grant, an applicant must be a private, nonprofit organization, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a public institution. Either the applicant or program to be funded must be located in the Foundation’s eleven-county geographic service area (Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties in West Virginia, and Washington County, Ohio). Priority counties for grant support are: Wood, Wirt, Doddridge, Ritchie, Roane, Calhoun, and Gilmer.
The Foundation provides support for capital and equipment projects, program development, technical assistance, training, capacity building projects, and, under special circumstances, operating support. Submitted applications are considered for support from a wide variety of grant funds available to support charitable projects throughout the region.
The Foundation’s grantmaking guidelines provide additional information on eligibility and priorities for all types of grants; visit the Foundation’s website at to access the grant guidelines and application forms. For more information, contact Marian Clowes at 304-428-4438.
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PO Box 1762 1620 Park Ave.Parkersburg, WV 26102-1762 Directions
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