Nearly $35,000 awarded to advance 13 projects and programs
LOGAN, Ohio – The Hocking County Community Fund (HCCF), with the support of its donors and in partnership with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO), has awarded $34,900 during its 2026 grant round to advance 13 projects and programs benefiting the county’s residents and communities.
“These grants are a powerful reminder of what’s possible when generous donors invest in the people and organizations working every day to strengthen Hocking County,” said Abby Saving, HCCF committee member. “We thank the individuals and families whose gifts to the Hocking County Community Fund make these opportunities possible and to those in our communities who give their time, talent and passion to transform these investments into meaningful impact for people across Hocking County.”
Nonprofits, schools and public organizations serving Hocking County were invited to apply for grants – made possible by gifts to HCCF’s endowment fund – to advance opportunities across five areas essential to flourishing communities: arts and culture, community and economic development, education, environmental stewardship, and health and human services. Emphasis is on supporting individuals of all ages who are spearheading projects and programs that create opportunities, meet pressing needs and unleash the potential within Hocking County.
The 2026 grant recipients are:
- Appalachian String Initiative to help fund instructors for the Heart of Logan Beginner Orchestra, a string music education program for Hocking County children and adults
- FosterHub to support the opening of a teaching kitchen, shared eatery and café in its new facility in downtown Logan, enabling Hocking County youth who have aged out of the foster care system to access healthy food as well as nutrition and food service education
- Hocking County Children’s Chorus to purchase the licensing, royalties and materials for its first summer musical theater production
- Hocking Hills Global Methodist Church to support its Healthy Living through Healthy Cooking food education program, which is open to all households with a focus on those experiencing food insecurity
- Integrated Services for Behavioral Health to purchase materials and supplies for its adolescent therapy group and for a new therapy group for aging adults
- Logan-Hocking Local Schools received three grants: (1) to purchase classroom tools and materials that will bring 3D design, construction and architecture into K-4 art curriculum; (2) to support its Basic Needs Stabilization and Student Support Fund that provides rapid-response assistance to students and families experiencing crisis situations; and (3) to support the restoration of the Chieftain Elementary School pond and the design and installation of a storybook trail as part of a student-led initiative that combines environmental stewardship, literacy, civic engagement and outdoor learning
- Logan Theater Inc. to support the development of a Creative Commons space where community members and visitors can engage in hands-on artistic experiences
- Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX) Inc. to fund 15 Hocking County girls’ participation in a program designed to help girls develop supportive relationships, navigate many of the complex challenges adolescents face and acquire crucial life skills
- Rural Action to purchase food from area farms for distribution through the HAPCAP for Health Market in Logan, supported by the Danes Family Hocking County Endowment for Food Initiatives
- The Salvation Army-Logan Service Unit to purchase hygiene items for the Bags of Hope distributed to Hocking County residents experiencing hardship
- We Are Friends, a ministry of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, to provide emergency rent, utility and other assistance to Hocking County residents in need
HCCF, one of FAO’s 15 affiliate foundation partners, was established in 2019 to develop and grow permanent resources that provide continuous investment in Hocking County and its nonprofits, schools and communities. Each year, earnings from charitable giving to HCCF’s endowment fund are reinvested in Hocking County through grants that meet the county’s greatest needs and most promising opportunities.