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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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“The public school system in Knoxville is a vital part of our community,” said Chris Hroziencik, Knoxville Community Fund Advisory Board Chair. “We look forward to receiving applications that enrich the lives of our students.”

Any teacher in Knoxville School District #202 can apply for a mini grant of up to $500 for the 2023-24 school year. Applications must be received by April 24. Download the teacher mini grant application.

For the 2022-23 school year, six mini grants were awarded to teachers in the district for projects in the sciences, special education, consumer sciences, and life skills.

The Knoxville Community Fund was established in 2015 by local residents and built with gifts from community members, businesses, service organizations, and other sources. The Community Fund is an endowed fund of Galesburg Community Foundation, which is guided by a local advisory board that is empowered to award grants that positively impact the Knoxville community.

The Knoxville Community Fund has been granting awards to the community for eight years. Learn more about the Knoxville 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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Blessings in a Backpack is a national nonprofit that provides food on weekends for elementary school children who might otherwise go hungry. “The Knoxville Community Fund awarded a grant to the Knoxville Community Food Pantry for a new freezer as well as ongoing grants for the Little Food Bank and Christmas Food Basket Project,” said Chris Hroziencik, chair of the Knoxville Community Fund advisory committee. “Making sure children receive the food they need when they aren’t in school is one more way that we are combating hunger in our community.”

The Knoxville Community Fund is a fund of the Galesburg Community Foundation. Community Funds are endowments, which are permanent funds where the principal is invested and a portion of the returns are awarded locally as grants. Once a Community Fund is established it grows forever, creating a permanent source of financial support for local needs.

Learn more about or make a gift to the Knoxville Community Fund.You can also talk to a Knoxville Community Fund advisory board member: Mary Austin, Mandy Balser, Tim Engebretson, Chris Hroziencik, Toby Myers, David Wilt, or Brett Wright.

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