The Greater Salina Community Foundation recently awarded over $18,000 to 7 charitable projects and organizations in Saline County.

The following organizations received funding:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Child Development Center, $5,000 to replace the fence at the center.
• USD 305, $5,000 to purchase food items for weekend food bags for children.
• Saline County Sheriff’s Mounted Patrol & Rescue Squad, $2,808.57 to purchase a new rescue boat to continue to offer services.
• St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, $2,725 to support learning during COVID and beyond by purchasing new classroom equipment.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salina, $1,745.98 to purchase equipment to be able to host virtual meetings and trainings.
• Christ Cathedral Montessori School, $1,000 for classroom learning materials specific to the Montessori method of teaching.
• Salina Area United Way, $500 to purchase videography equipment to increase marketing and communication to donors, volunteers, and the public in the ten-county service area.

This round of grants was made possible by four funds at the community foundation: the Fund for Early Childhood Care, Education and Development, established by Mark and Jane Berkley to better prepare children in Ottawa and Saline Counties for kindergarten; the Fund for Greater Salina, which supports the charitable needs of the community; the Kansas Health Foundation Fund, that supports the public health of Saline County; and the L.P. “Pat” Mullen Fund, which supports hands-on learning opportunities for youth in the areas of arts and humanities and science, technology and invention.

Applications for the foundation’s next community grant cycle are due by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2020. Detailed application and fund criteria are available at www.gscf.org/about-grants.