Grants History

A legacy of generosity—community helping community.

Since 2003, LCF has reinvested nearly $282,000 in grants to 49 organizations in Lowndes County! And our impact is growing. In just the last three years, LCF awarded a total of $105,619 in grants to projects ranging from a new youth recreation center at the Columbus Air Force Base and renovations at the YMCA to office equipment for the Good Samaritan Clinic and funding for St. Vincent de Paul's dentistry mission. Since 2018, LCF has held periodic Community Conversations to identify priority areas of need and opportunity, with citizen-driven Task Forces working to advance causes identified through consensus in the larger Conversations. While LCF retains a commitment to the arts and community development, its grant-giving is thus guided by the collective input of Lowndes County broadly.

Civic and Cultural

Education and Human Development

Health and Human Services
Young actors perform in a Fall 2023 performance.

Golden Triangle Theatre

LCF awarded GT Theatre $12,000 in January 2022 to support the new organization (est. August 2021) in offering a summer camp and staging community productions. Since then, we've given GTT another $12,000 to help them expand their work with area schools.

Modern chairs and tables in the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library in downtown Columbus.

Columbus-Lowndes Public Library

LCF awarded $5,000 to the Friends of the Library in 2022 for the purchase of new, modern furniture at the Columbus branch of Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, including mobile furniture that can be used in off-campus programming such as resume-writing workshops. In 2023, we awarded them another $5,000 to refurnish their Artesia and Crawford campuses.

A young woman in a yellow collared shirt and grey slacks shakes hands with Kevin Stafford, city engineer.

FORGE Foundation

LCF granted $5,000 to the FORGE Foundation in 2022 to help FORGE purchase equipment for outdoor film screenings of the award-winning documentary "Borrowed Time" for area educators on May 11 and a Parents Education Night on September 17, 2022. Since then, we've given another $8,500 to expand their Interview Day, which helps prepare students for the workforce by through resume workshops and mock interviews with area employers.

Two young girls smile and hold up shampoo and body wash as they help stock the Helping Hands pantry.

From 2023-2025, LCF gave $10,500 to stock the Helping Hands food pantry and another $9,500 to support Junior Auxiliary's work providing food and clothing to Lowndes County schoolchildren in need.

2025 Grant Recipients

Good Samaritan Clinic

CAFB Spouses & Friends Club

Junior Auxiliary

Possomtown Book Festival

Safe Haven

Cook Elementary

St. Vincent de Paul

Helping Hands

Golden Triangle Theatre

Imagination Library

Poverty & Health
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Education
%
Community Development & Recreation
%
The Arts
%
Disaster Relief
%

The unique aspect of this foundation is that it will not compete against current programs, but will serve as a great complement to all community-based charitable programs. Gifts and bequests to this perpetual foundation will provide needed grant funds for our many worthy community organizations.

- Charles Weatherly, Former Board Member

Interested in learning more?

If you're interested in learning how you can invest in the future by helping fund a grant, visit the Ways to Give page. And if you're interested in applying for a grant, visit the Grants page.
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