News

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates (PACF) announced support for nonprofit organizations and charitable projects throughout the region through its spring Community Action Grant program. The PACF awards grants from a variety of funds created by individuals, organizations, and area businesses to support critical community needs. PACF’s grant awards this spring total $275,879. The Foundation’s three affiliates awarded an additional $10,500 in grants, including $5,800 from the Doddridge County Community Foundation (DCCF) and $4,700 from the Ritchie County Community Foundation (RCCF).

“Our grantmaking capacity this cycle was greatly enhanced by support from a variety of donor advised funds who have generously recommended grants to address the critical needs presented through grant requests,” said Marian Clowes, Associate Director for Community Leadership. “We continue to focus on addressing the most pressing community needs, including food insecurity, homelessness, and mental health and substance use disorders.”

To be considered for a Community Action Grant, an applicant must be a private, nonprofit organization 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). 

The spring 2021 Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates grant recipients are:

• Belpre Performing Arts Boosters - $5,650 for band instrument replacement

• Boys and Girls Club of Washington County - $16,000 for gymnasium renovations

• Cairo Volunteer Fire Department - $7,500 for personal protective equipment for firefighters

• Calhoun County Livestock Program - $1,000 for facility upgrades

• Camden Clark Foundation - $23,000 to replace chemotherapy treatment chairs with new medical-grade chairs

• Children of Promise in Action - $5,000 for facility updates and to provide recreational services for Ritchie County youth

• Children’s Home Society - $15,500 for the Transitional Living Program to provide support services to youth who are experiencing homelessness

• Circles Campaign of the Mid-Ohio Valley - $8,000 for operating support

• Colonial House - $800 to purchase an outdoor storage shed

• Consumer Credit Counseling Services - $5,000 to support a financial literacy program for individuals in active recovery from substance use disorders

• East Wood Volunteer Fire Department - $6,460 to replace outdated equipment

• Ely Chapman Education Foundation - $6,000 for STEAM activities during the Sensational Summer Camp

• Harrisville Volunteer Fire Department - $7,075 to purchase a mobile radio repeater and emergency pagers

• Little Kanawha Area Development Corporation - $2,000 to purchase equipment for a mobile business support project

• Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home - $10,000 for office and facility renovations

• Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center - $7,858 to replace and update seating and blood draw chairs in the laboratory department

• Nazareth Farm - $5,700 to support the costs of a new truck and supply barn

• Oil, Gas and Industrial Historical Association - $9,000 to refurbish windows for the Oil and Gas Museum

• Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired - $3,150 to provide hearing aids to low income individuals with hearing impairments

• Parkersburg Art Center - $9,000 to install fire suppression system

• Recovery Point - $15,000 to support upgrades and increase capacity at the Parkersburg facility

• Ritchie County Family Resource Network - $6,400 to establish a food pantry

•   Roane County Committee on Aging - $6,800 to assist with roof replacement for Amma Senior Center

• TEAM for West Virginia Children - $5,000 for the “Our Babies: Safe and Sound” to provide education about infant safe sleep and abusive head trauma prevention

• The Doddridge County Starting Points Center - $5,700 to expand the emergency food pantry

• The Education Alliance - $10,336 to provide training and resources for AmeriCorps mentors to integrate mental health best practices into mentoring program

• University of Charleston - $5,000 to produce a documentary on Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett

• Upper West Fork CAP - $2,325 for parking lot upgrade

• Voices for Children Foundation/CASA - $11,000 for operating support

• Washington County Career Center - $15,000 to purchase an Anatomage machine for instruction in medical courses

• Washington United Methodist Church - $1,400 to support the food pantry

• West Virginia Central Bee Keepers - $2,000 to support efforts to increase the bee population

• West Virginia Health Right - $6,500 to support the mobile dental unit’s services in Roane County

• West Virginia Symphony Orchestra – Parkersburg - $1,000 to support the upcoming “diverse and successful symphonies” series

• Williamstown Middle/High School - $7,000 to replace band equipment

• Wirt County Committee on Aging - $10,000 for kitchen remodeling and upgrades

• WV Extension Family Nutrition Program - $6,250 to provide produce markets at Wood County schools

• WVU Foundation- Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program - $5,250 to provide assessments and equipment to children in the Parkersburg area with vision impairments

Doddridge County Community Foundation Grants

•  Doddridge County Starting Points Center - $1,800 to expand items available in the emergency food pantry to include fresh produce, dairy, meat, and frozen foods and to purchase an upright freezer and a refrigerator.
• Nazareth Farm - $4,000 to support the construction of a new truck and supply barn as part of its overall facility improvement campaign.

Ritchie County Community Foundation Grants:

• Harrisville Volunteer Fire Department - $1,900 to purchase a mobile radio repeater and emergency pagers for firefighters.
• Ritchie County Family Resource Network - $1,600 to start a food pantry to meet food access needs in the county.
• Ritchie County High School - $1,200 from the O. Eugene and Mary Scott Smith Memorial Fund to support professional development for RCHS teacher and band instructor Justin Hodges.

Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation

• Pleasant Hill Elementary School - $900 to provide literacy materials for the school’s two preschool classrooms. The materials will help preschoolers develop early reading skills.

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:

• Wednesday, January 13, 2:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, January 19, 10:00 a.m.

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.

The Doddridge County Community Foundation (DCCF) recently awarded $3,000 to the Doddridge County 4-H Teen Leaders to beautify the Town of West Union through the installation of decorative banners. The grant was made possible in part by a gift from the EQT Foundation that the DCCF received earlier this year.  The EQT Foundation gift provided resources for DCCF to support current community projects and to grow the DCCF’s community endowment fund, the Doddridge County Grantmaking Fund.  This Doddridge County Grantmaking Fund enables the DCCF to address community needs and invest in new opportunities for Doddridge County residents. The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) also supported the beautification project with an additional $500 grant, for total grant support of $3,500.

 

The Doddridge County 4-H Teen Leaders worked together to plan, design, and install seasonal banners along Main Street in West Union. “Doddridge County Teen Leaders wanted to make their community shine with the Welcome to West Union project,” said Linsey Ferguson, Doddridge County Extension Agent in Training. “This project addresses community pride in West Union and allows 4-Hers to be involved civically in improving their town. This was a great project to undertake during COVID-19 and to remain connected to the community. The Doddridge County 4-H Teen Leaders hope that their beautification project will bring more people to Main Street and increase tourism and economic development.”

 

“What a terrific initiative for the Teen Leaders to initiate, especially during such uncertain times,” said Ellen Rossi, President of the EQT Foundation.  “The street banners will be a welcomed addition to the efforts that have been going on in West Union for years.  We are so happy with the DCCF’s decision to fund such a worthwhile project.” 

The DCCF and PACF award grants twice a year through the Community Action Grants Program, which provides support to charitable organizations for capital improvement projects, program development, capacity building, and operating needs.  The next grant application deadline is February 15. Grantmaking guidelines and the online application form are available on the Foundation’s website, www.pacfwv.com.

About Doddridge County Community Foundation:

Celebrating 20 years of serving the community, the Doddridge County Community Foundation (DCCF) works with charitable individuals to make a positive and permanent commitment for the future of Doddridge County, West Virginia.  DCCF is an affiliate of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF). The PACF is a single 501(c)(3) public charity that manages a philanthropic endowment of more than 375 funds amounting to more than $65 million in assets, each representing a unique giving partnership with an individual, a family, or a business, civic or nonprofit organization. The PACF works in partnership with local level organizations (affiliates) to provide leadership and develop philanthropic resources to meet the needs of our 11-county service district. Since 1999, DCCF has helped local citizens support the causes that are most important to them and touch every aspect of life in our communities in a wide variety of significant and lasting ways. For more information about the PACF and its affiliate, DCCF, or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, visit www.pacfwv.com or call 304-428-4438.