JUNE 2025 — The Marion Community Foundation is proud to announce the distribution of $50,000 in its 2025 Racial Equity & Justice grants. These 11 community programs are focused on advancing issues of equity and justice locally, addressing critical needs in education, community affirmation, healthcare, and organizational development.
“The goal of Marion Community Foundation’s Racial Equity and Justice grants is to foster innovative programs to help people overcome challenges and continually build a better community,” said Jody Demo-Hodgins, co-chair of the Racial Equity and Justice grants committee at Marion Community Foundation. “Moving forward takes small, continuous steps and is essential for a community, like Marion, that values all people.”
According to co-chair Nicolle Willis, awards favor applicants who identify and detail a community need and offer a solution that clearly states an effective plan to meet that need. In 2025, grant awards total $50,000 and include:
Advancing Healthcare Equity
Avanzar Juntos (a program of St. Mary Church Hispanic Ministry) | $5,200 for Latino Health Fair –To continue offering an annual Health Fair for Spanish speaking families in the Marion area and community; to raise awareness of common health issues by providing health assessments, educating people to start a healthier lifestyle, and providing communication of the services that are offered in Marion County. The event includes Spanish interpreters as well as materials in Spanish to share with Hispanic families.
Grace Clinic Marion | $5,000 for Safety New Free Clinic – To deliver quality medical care to underserved local populations and improve health outcomes. The Safety Net Free Clinic removes common barriers to healthcare, provides culturally sensitive medical care and education, and improves access to resources in order to reduce healthcare disparities.
Fostering Educational Opportunities & Growth
St. Mary Catholic Church Hispanic Ministry | $4,500 for Confidence Builder Summer Camp — To give a summer push of academic reinforcement in math, reading and religion to underserved children. The camp helps students from a wide variety of countries prepare for the school year and build confidence; transportation and meals are provided.
Logos Christian Ministries | $10,470 for Bridging Gaps, Breaking Barriers— A student-led three-day leadership summit designed to empower African American male students in grades K-12 with essential leadership skills and coping strategies. This initiative addresses the social and emotional challenges disproportionately affecting this population. The summit will feature interactive workshops, culturally relevant discussions, and peer mentorship.
Marion Public Library | $2,840 for Cultural Kaleidoscope: Discovering the Richness of Diversity— A multi-faceted approach to serving the library’s increasingly diverse patron population, including training staff to improve their written and spoken Spanish to communicate with the growing Hispanic population, to enhance the library’s cultural diversity collection, to explore diverse publishing houses and books published in different languages; and, to offer at least two diverse cultural-focused programs.
Promoting Community Affirmation
Marion Voices Folklife + Oral History | $3,000 for Marion Black Joy Summerfest 2025 — Marion Black Joy Summerfest is an annual celebration of Marion County’s Black culture, heritage, & folklife. The annual event is held on or near Juneteenth at Marion’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park and includes music, cultural arts, heritage demonstrations, exhibits, and participatory presentations.
Palace Cultural Arts Association | $1,215 for Black History Celebration – To commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month, the Marion Palace Theatre will host the Toledo-based soul band, Nikki D and the Sisters of Thunder, to perform at the Palace Pavilion on January 24, 2026.
Peace and Freedom Committee | $2,475 for Marion Looks Like Me Book Event — A one-day event allowing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) children to see themselves in storybooks and meet the authors who write to their perspectives. The event seeks to create belonging, improve literacy, and encourage participants to see themselves as future authors.
Tri-Rivers Career Center | $2,300 for Exploration of Beauty and Color — A cohesive day of instruction and learning between Tri-Rivers Career Center (TRCC) students and girls of color at Tri-Rivers’ nine associate middle schools, addressing topics of health, beauty, wellness, and self-care.
Strengthening Organizational Development
Black Heritage Council of Marion | $5,000 for Black Heritage Council Legacy – To restore and strengthen the legacy of the Black Heritage Council in Marion.
Peace and Freedom Committee | $8,000 for Celebrating and Affirming Marion’s Community of Color — To help Marion’s community of color celebrate its cultural richness and create a sense of belonging through the preservation of the Peace and Freedom Committee’s 18-year history; to create and publish a book that celebrates the legacy of Marion’s premiere grassroots organization, thereby empowering Marion’s people of color.
The Racial Equity & Justice Grant Program is open to any charitable non-profit 501(c)(3) organization or equivalent, including educational, governmental, and religious programs, looking to improve issues of equity and justice in Marion County (Ohio). Funding for the program comes from Marion Community Foundation’s Health Care Fund and the Robert M. & Dorothy C. Wopat Community Fund. The application process is competitive and is held annually in February-March.
The Racial Equity & Justice grant committee consists of co-chairs Demo-Hodgins and Willis and members Dr. Deepi Bathini, Candace Floyd, Hon. Matt Frericks, Dana Martin, Jennifer Lawson, Evelyn Olivos Lisiecki, Jackie Peterson, and Erin Slater, who review applications and make award recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Click HERE to download a PDF of the 2025 informational flier.
