Gifts to the Nelsonville Community Foundation’s endowment fund are invested, with earnings from those dollars returned to our communities through grants to nonprofits, schools and public organizations serving our neighbors.

With the support of our donors and in partnership with FAO and the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, our grants fund projects and programs that advance opportunities across five areas, known as our Pillars of Prosperity: 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 our communities.

The 2024 grant application closed on Sept. 10.

A growing impact, year after year

Nearly $24,000 awarded in 2023!

In 2023, the Nelsonville Community Foundation awarded 15 grants, totaling $23,775, to support initiatives benefiting our residents and communities. This includes three grants for projects developed and implemented by Nelsonville-area youth under age 18, empowering our young people’s good work today and inspiring them to embrace future roles as community builders.

Grant Recipients

  • Athens County Public Libraries to purchase electric-assisted bicycles for Nelsonville Public Library’s Book-a-Bike program 
  • City of Nelsonville to help fund fencing and labor costs for a new Nelsonville Dog Park 
  • Community Food Initiatives to offer workshops at community partner sites and support community members with container gardening 
  • Nelsonville Area Chamber of Commerce to support the Follow the Star Brick Road: Nelsonville Brick Park Revitalization Project 
  • Nelsonville-York Elementary School received three grants: (1) to purchase sensory tools for social-emotional learning, (2) to purchase iPads for second-grade classrooms and (3) to purchase iPads for the multiple disabilities classrooms 
  • Nelsonville-York Middle and High School to support the set-up of a new restaurant at the school, operated by special education students 
  • Nelsonville-York School District received three grants: (1) to purchase a desktop computer for K-12 classroom use and afterschool programming, (2) to purchase rock band instruments for use by the middle and high school choirs and by the community, and (3) to fund local dining out experiences for students in the high school business class 
  • Stuart’s Opera House to help fund artist fees and production costs of the Summer Arts Camp for children ages 10-18 

  • The iBELIEVE Foundation to fund the participation of Nelsonville-area youth in the 2024 iBELIEVE Youth Leadership Workshops 
  • Circle Round the Square to fund three student interns who are stepping into leadership roles at the summer program and workshops 
  • Nelsonville-York School District’s National Honor Society to purchase feminine hygiene products and support the needs of fellow students 

  • Nelsonville Greyhound Park to fund a gazebo, benches and other upgrades 
  • Greater Works Outreach Worship Center to purchase food from the Southeast Ohio Foodbank for its monthly food pantry and free community dinner 
  • Hocking College Foundation to fund two Hocking College Student Work Scholarships, which provide work opportunities to students in exchange for tuition assistance 
  • Majestic Galleries to update its lighting 
  • Nelsonville-York City Schools to implement Appalachian Literature Circles into the Junior English curriculum at Nelsonville-York High School 
  • Ohio University to distribute new books, provided by a Molina Foundation grant, to children, adults and families in Nelsonville, Hocking County and other parts of Southeast Ohio 
  • Rising Suns Pharmacy to cover business expenses for its Southeast Ohio Free Pharmacy, which provides medication and pharmacy services to uninsured and underinsured individuals 
  • Southeast Ohio Independent News to support media coverage of Nelsonville-area public meetings  
  • Tri-County Career Center to fund enrollment and testing of 17 students in driver’s education programs 

  • Athens County Children Services to support the Buckeye Bags Food Access Program 
  • Nelsonville Food Cupboard Inc., to help fund the food pantry’s purchase of the facility it was leasing 
  • Southeast Ohio Youth Mentoring to support the Buckeye Buddies: Youth Leadership in Nelsonville program 
  • First Presbyterian Church of Nelsonville Ohio for Raise the Roof, a project to replace the church’s slate roof with a metal one 
  • Athenian Berean Community Players for stage platforms 
  • Nelsonville Rotary Club to support the Nelson Commons Refresh project that included repairs and improvements at the park shelter house and city pool house 
  • Athenian Berean Community Players to purchase wireless microphones