2025 Community Grants
ANNUAL REPORT 2025 | This annual, competitive grant cycle is offered by Marion Community Foundation to support charities serving Marion. Local organizations seek funding to address a wide variety of community needs. In 2025, $577,000 in awards support 45 local nonprofit organizations and charities, including:
Arts
Marion Arts Legacy Alliance | Marion Open Drum & Bugle Corps
Marion Concert Band | Summer in the Park concert series
Palace Cultural Arts Association | Palace Theatre theatrical lighting updates
Presidents Band Club | Bobby Floyd residency program in the Marion City Schools
Basic Needs
American Red Cross East Central Ohio | Marion County Resilient Communities Project
Cents for Shoes
Heart of Ohio Homeless Shelter
Luke 3:11 Ministries | Lumpy Loads of Laundry
Marion Adolescent Pregnancy Program | emergency assistance funds for families in crisis
Marion City Schools | Spring Break Meals*
Marion Y-Men’s Service Club | wheelchair ramps
Salvation Army | Strengthening Marion’s Resilience: Emergency Disaster Services
Community
Friends of Caledonia | Caledonia Festival on the Square
Huber Machinery Museum | advertising and publications
Marion County Historical Society | Safeguarding History: Digitizing the Past
Marion Family YMCA | New starting blocks for the natatorium
Peace and Freedom Committee | 2026 MLK Day Breakfast and Youth Oratory and Art Contests, Hats Off to You Ladies Luncheon, and Juneteenth
Prospect Park Commission | Curva spinner and new disc golf signage
St. Mary Church-Avanzar Juntos | Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Conway Family Charitable | Maurice & Jeanne Cornell | Donald &
Funds supporting the community grants program
Barbara Everly Family | Forever Remembered | Founders | Granger Family | Richard & Marjory Grigsby | A. Merle Hamilton | Health Care | Henry Heinzmann | Ron & Effie Laipply Family | Paul & Susan Ludwig Kenny Martin Charitable | John D. & Kathleen E. O’Shea | Rick & Nancie Poorman | Chester & Mildred Roberts | Russell & Jerlene
Rosebrough | Dan & Terri Tobin | Randy & Sandra Winland |
Robert M. &Dorothy C. Wopat | and anonymous donors
Education
Marion City Schools* | President’s Band Club and Marion City Schools Orchestra program
Marion Public Library/Let’s Read 20 | America 250: History comes to life through books
Marion Technical College | Investing in Marion’s Future: Eliminating Tuition Barriers for Pandemic-Impacted Graduates
Food Security
Lifecare Alliance | Meals-on-Wheels and senior dining centers in Marion County
Marion City Schools | Students Catch 3 Breaks 2025-26 School Year
Marion County Council on Aging | fresh produce deliveries and community meals for seniors
Mobile Meals of Marion County | meal assistance program
Salvation Army | FreshStart Food & Care
St. John Lutheran Church (Windfall) | Bread for All People
St. Vincent de Paul Center of Marion | Feeding Marion
Health & Wellness
Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio | Summer Learning Academy Marion
Grace Clinics of Ohio-Marion | Safety Net Free Healthcare facility expansion
Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities | Family & Sibling Support Groups
Ohio Heartland Community Action Commission | United Community Rx Program
Shining a Light on Pediatric Cancer
Marion First Church of the Nazarene | Celebrate Recovery program
Recreation Unlimited Foundation | Marion County camper scholarships
Wings of an Angel | Special Equipment for Special Children
Families
Marion Family YMCA | Safety Around Water pilot
Marion Matters, Inc.
Marion Victim Assistance Program
Salvation Army | Level Up! Life Skills Academy
Marion’s Kids
Boys and Girls Club of Marion County | Pathways to Full Potential – Future Ready Youth
City of Marion | Increasing Rec Center access
Logos Christian Ministries | Bridging Gaps, Breaking Barriers
Marion Area Boxing Club
Marion Family YMCA | Rec and Resource Center programs and operations
Mid-Ohio Fine Art Society | Youth Outreach Program
Marion City Police Department | MPACT Program
Marion County Sheriff’s Office | Project SERVE
Tri-Rivers Career Center | Expect to Be Amazing Summer Camp
Harding Presidential Sites | Laddie Boy Mystery Club
*Funded via Marion Community Foundation’s General Grants Program
