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These grants are possible because of the Community Funds in each town. Initiated by Galesburg Community Foundation and developed by local residents, Community Funds are built through gifts from individuals who love their communities. They are guided by local advisory boards empowered to award grants that positively impact their communities and residents. 

All 501(c)(3) nonprofit or public charities, including churches, schools, and government agencies, are eligible to apply. Grant recipients will be notified by May 1. Organizations may apply to both the Community Fund grant cycle and The Turnout, Galesburg Community Foundation’s competitive grant cycle. The Turnout will be open July 1-15. 

Community Funds have supported a wide range of local initiatives, including mobile radios for the Alexis and Williamsfield Fire Departments, assistance for the Knoxville food pantry, contributions to the Community Thanksgiving Dinner in Monmouth, and flowers to enhance downtown beautification efforts in Roseville. 

“Community Fund grants are designed to support the ideas and organizations that make our communities vibrant places to live,” said DeAnne Bloomberg, Vice President of Programs at Galesburg Community Foundation. “From education and youth programs to community improvements, these grants help local leaders turn great ideas into real impact.”  

In addition to community grants, Community Funds are also supporting local teachers by offering mini grants to enhance the classroom experience. From March 16- April 1, teachers in the Knoxville, Monmouth-Roseville, United and Williamsfield school districts are encouraged to apply for teacher mini grants. Proposals may be for classroom projects and materials up to $500. Grants must be for the 2026-27 school year, and recipients will be notified by May 1. 

Mini grants have been used by teachers in the region to purchase curriculum, books, musical instruments, science equipment, and other resources. 

For more information about Community Fund grants for nonprofits or teachers, contact DeAnne Bloomberg at info@yourgcf.org or 309-344-8898. 

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A mini grant from the Alexis Community Fund will allow Koerner to purchase audiobooks for her students. “Audiobooks are considered one of the ‘Great Equalizers,’” says Koerner. “These audiobooks help students digest larger, higher-level books in a way that is both enjoyable and allows them to check out the same books as their peers even if they are not at the same reading level. It also helps our Spanish-speaking students enjoy great books without the stress of decoding English.”

The Alexis Community Fund will award three mini grants to teachers at United North for the 2023-24 academic year. In addition to new audiobooks for the library, special education teacher Mindy Murray will receive funding to purchase a series of books to improve student comprehension skills. Reading interventionist Marci Bertelson will also receive a mini grant to purchase new phonics books for her kindergarten and first grade students who are struggling readers.

“There are many times when teachers see a need in the classroom that requires extra resources,” says Moses Anderson, chair of the Alexis Community Fund Advisory Board. “Mini grants are a way for the community to support the efforts of our teachers to educate our children.”

The Alexis Community Fund was established by local residents and built with gifts from community members, businesses, service organizations, and other sources. The Alexis Community Fund, which is an endowed fund of Galesburg Community Foundation, is guided by a local advisory board that is empowered to award grants that positively impact the Alexis community.

In addition to teacher mini grants, the Community Fund also awarded a grant to the Alexis Museum to repair damage caused by frozen pipes this winter. A grant was also awarded to the Village of Alexis to partially cover the cost of flowers that will be planted by the Alexis Ladies League along Main Street.

Learn more about the Alexis Community Fund.

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In Knoxville, junior high students are using pocket-sized computers to solve real-world problems in Katie Frey’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) class. In Alexis, elementary students at United North are being exposed to other cultures through instruments in Ashley Bushong’s music classes.

These opportunities—and many more—are possible through mini grants teachers from the two districts have received from their respective Community Funds.

The Knoxville and Alexis Community Funds were established by local residents and built with gifts from community members, businesses, service organizations, and other sources. Community Funds, which are endowed funds of Galesburg Community Foundation, are guided by a local advisory board that is empowered to award grants that positively impact their communities and residents.

“We know that education through our public school system is vital to Knoxville,” said Chris Hroziencik, chair of the Knoxville Community Fund Advisory Steering Committee. “Our community members are the heart of this process—and that certainly includes our teachers and students.”

This is the second time that Frey has applied for—and received—a mini grant for her Knoxville STEM classroom. “Technology is always changing and upgrading. For our STEM class to be meaningful, we need to provide the most current resources and opportunities for our students to practice coding and collaborative skills to prepare them for their futures.”

In addition to Frey’s STEM class mini grant, five other teachers received funding for equipment and projects in Knoxville:

• Sarah Hilman, who teaches kindergarten through second grade special education, received an iPad app and manipulatives and games that can be used in the classroom to allow students to work at an individualized pace on skills that are tailored to them. The app will also allow teachers to see where students are struggling and provide additional reteaching opportunities.
• Maria Taylor, family and consumer sciences teacher at Knoxville High School, teaches a series of classes on working in the food industry, food and nutrition, and catering. The mini grant is being used to supplement the budget for the food needed to complete lesson plans for four classes.
• Kaelee Potter’s life skills classroom runs a beverage shop for staff at Mable-Woolsey Elementary School. Through the mini grant, they will receive a new refrigerator that will allow them to expand the offerings of the shop and develop vocational skills essential for the independent success of students.
• Students in Jennifer Recchio’s Knoxville High School chemistry class will receive equipment that will help them explore alternative forms of energy by cooking with solar energy, building a solar powered model car, designing a water wheel that produces hydropower, generating wind power with a turbine, and fermenting biofuel.
• Students in Amy Hopper’s junior high STEM class will receive equipment that allows them to navigate the design process with digital tools to produce goods and services for their peers and community.

In addition to Bushong’s instrument mini grant, two other teachers received mini grants in Alexis:

• In Trinette Olin’s fifth grade science class, students will learn about ecosystems, food webs, and the scientific method through the dissection of owl pellets purchased through a mini grant.
• Students in Mindy Murray’s grade 3-5 special education classes will receive learning games and activities centered around reading comprehension, phonics, and math skills needed to progress in the areas they are behind in.

Learn more about the Knoxville Community Fund and Alexis Community Fund.

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After the Alexis Memorial Day Celebration, the fund advisory board celebrated the awarding of its first community grants to three organizations:

• Funds were awarded to the Village of Alexis for the Alexis Ladies Leagues’ Alexis Schools Veterans Board project.
• Funds were awarded to the Alexis Branch of the Warren County Public Library to repair the sign on their building.
• Three mini-grants were awarded to United North Elementary School teachers Trinette Olin, Ashley Bushong, and Mindy Murray to support science education, purchase music instruments, and provide special education supplies.

Community Funds are developed by local residents and built with gifts from community members, businesses, service organizations and other sources. They are guided by a local steering committee that is empowered to award grants that positively impact their community and residents. Once a Community Fund is established it grows forever, creating a permanent source of financial support for local needs.

“The Alexis Community Fund will ensure the Alexis community has permanent resources to support future needs and opportunities as they arise,” said John Elder, member of the Alexis Community Fund advisory board.

Learn more about the Alexis Community Fund at yourgcf.org/alexis.

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