March 28 is the deadline for several youth and arts grant opportunities from the Middletown Community Foundation.

Applications are available online at mcfoundation.org for the Summertime for Kids Grants and Fondersmith Grants for Youth in addition to the Laura Lou Neuenswander Fund for the Performing Arts.

The Middletown Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council, a group of outstanding students from Middletown, Middletown Christian, Bishop Fenwick, Franklin, Edgewood, Monroe and Madison High Schools who visit local nonprofit agencies throughout the school year, will evaluate and select the recipients for the Summertime for Kids and Fondersmith grants.

Nonprofit organizations, churches and governmental entities may apply for two programs that the students oversee. Summertime for Kids programs, with a maximum grant award of $1,000, provide safe and structured summer activities for local children, while the Fondersmith grants are for programs benefiting local children and youth that may take place at any time during the year. The two grant programs typically award about $30,000 per year to Middletown-area charities.

The Neuenswander Fund will award one grant of $500 to a local charity for a project in the field of performing arts.

Neuenswander grants may be used for education, presentation, competition or similar programs. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, schools or religious institutions, and the programs offered must benefit the general public in the Middletown area.

While an application is required for the Summertime for Kids and Fondersmith grants, the Neuenswander Fund requires only a one-page cover letter outlining the project for which the organization is seeking funding, including a budget showing all expenses and sources of other revenue. The letter may be e-mailed to info@mcfoundation.org, faxed to 513-424-7555 or mailed to 300 North Main Street, Suite 300, Middletown, OH 45042. Completed Summertime for Kids or Fondersmith applications may be sent to the same address.

The Foundation’s next upcoming regular grant deadlines for general requests are June 1 for human needs and education and Sept. 1 for arts, recreation, community development and festivals.

The Middletown Community Foundation works to improve the lives of those in the greater Middletown area by serving as a permanent source of funding for projects to benefit the community. Founded in 1976 as part of the United Way, the Community Foundation became an independent organization in 1986 and over the past 39 years has distributed nearly $40 million of grants and scholarships to benefit our community. For more information, call 513-424-7469 or visit mcfoundation.org.

T. Duane Gordon
Executive Director
Middletown Community Foundation
“We Connect People Who Care”