Thank you to those who contribute to Community Connection!
Your donations have funded over $1.5 million in grants to improve our community since September 1994!
The next Community Connection application deadlineis August 30. The Community Connection Board of Trustees will meet September 11 to award fall grants.
Butler Rural Community Connection provides grants to local non-profit groups, schools, and organizations inportions of Butler, Montgomery, Preble and Hamilton counties. Funds for the program come from cooperative members and employees who voluntarily contribute to Community Connection each month. Some members choose to allow their monthly electric bills to be roundedto the next dollar amount, and the extra change is allocated to Community Connection. Other members and employees choose to donate a specific amount each month, or givea one-time donation.
Learn more about Community Connection below.
2022 Community Connection Annual Report
Click Here
Eligibility
Any non-profit group(must be 501c3), school, or organization located within Butler Rural Electric Cooperative's service territory is eligible to apply. Those who cannot apply for grants include political candidates and political parties. Organizations or groups who intend to use the grant money to pay their utility bills are not eligible to apply.
How to Apply for a Community Connection Grant
The maximum grant amount is $5,000. However, no request is too small. You may have additional pages with the application. Please do not exceed five pages. Please provide five copies of the application and any supporting material (up to five pages total).
- Include a list of the itemized costs for the project. A portion of the amount requested may be awarded if the Community Connection board of trustees choose not to fund the entire grant.
- If you are requesting a specific type of equipment, include a picture or description of the item. Many groups include advertisem*nts from vendors that list the price and description of the item they need. This will not commit you to a specific vendor.
- Grants for Apple devices must be purchased by your organization or grant recipient. Butler Rural Community Connection will directly reimburse your organization or the purchaser.
- The Community Connection board of trustees reviews all applications.
- Funds are awarded in September and March of each year. The meeting date is posted on the cooperative's website as soon as it is decided. You will be contacted by letter after the meeting. The grant winners are also posted on the cooperative's website.
Click here for a School application
Click here for a Non-Profit application
Click here for Fire-EMS application
Community Connection Board of Trustees
Five Butler Rural Electric Cooperative members serve on the Community Connection board of trustees. Each board member lives in different areas of the cooperative’s service territory and has diverse backgrounds and experiences. These members volunteer their time to serve on the Community Connection board and have a drive to do something positive for the community. They review hundreds of grant applications each year.
From left is Tom Laming, Janet Jewell, John Hofmann, Monica Neeley, and Don Kidd.
Community Connection Grant Recipients
Since 1994, Butler Rural Community Connection has awarded over $1.5 million in grants to local schools, non-profit organizations, and emergency management services. In March 2024, Butler Rural Community Connection received over 50 applications requesting more than $132,000. The Community Connection program funded 41 of these grants, totaling $43,604.88.
Spring 2024 Community Connection Grant Recipients
| Organization | Comments | $ Granted |
| Amazing Grace Lutheran Church Quilt Group | Quilt making supplies | $160 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County | After school programs | $2,000 |
| Butler County Educational Service Center | Baby safety items | $2,300 |
| Camden Somers Township Fire/EMS | Thermal camera truck charger | $670 |
| Collinsville Grange #2264 - Patrons of Husbandry | US flag disposal box | $249.73 |
| Crosby Elementary | Learning resource | $250 |
| Crosby Township Senior Citizens Club | Program membership fees | $480 |
| Edgewood Primary School | "Passport to Adventure" program costs | $1,034 |
| Friends of White Water Shaker Village | Presentation floor stand | $386.51 |
| Germantown Fire-EMS | Gas meters | $1,000 |
| Gratis EMS | Panasonic Toughbook | $400 |
| Gratis Police Department | Hard drive, rain coat, batteries | $700 |
| Hanover Township - Fire Department | Gas detectors | $1,500 |
| Holy Trinity Episcopal Church | "Red Door Community" concerts | $500 |
| Home Is The Foundation | Home repair costs | $4,200 |
| Kramer Elementary | Sensory path | $670 |
| Madison Elementary School | Student book publishing | $400 |
| Miamitown Church of Christ Quilt Ministry | Printing supplies | $160 |
| Milford Township Fire Department | Communication pagers | $1,900 |
| National Inventors Hall of Fame, Inc. | Camp invention program fees | $1,100 |
| New Miami Elementary | Swing set | $1,300 |
| PARACHUTE: Butler County CASA | "Be a Child's Voice" program | $1,800 |
| Parent Initiative Team - Talawanda High School | After prom rec center fees | $1,000 |
| Pathway to Hope Pregnancy Care Center | Formula project | $2,750 |
| Play in the Park | Field trip food expenses | $700 |
| Preble County Agricultural Society | Two iPads and two cases | $1,000 |
| Preble County Historical Society & Nature Reserve | Trail signage | $1,200 |
| Preble Shawnee High School | Sensory chairs | $865.64 |
| Preble Shawnee High School | Online classroom program | $1,000 |
| Ross Intermediate School | Sensory classroom materials | $1,240 |
| Ross Local School Choral Association | Choral participation and song fees | $600 |
| Ross Local School District | Staff wellness programs | $660 |
| Safe Haven Farms Inc. | Animal care costs | $2,500 |
| St. Matthew Lutheran Church | AED supplies | $350 |
| Student Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics at Miami | Food warmer | $500 |
| Talawanda High School FCCLA | 4th grade field trip project | $400 |
| Talawanda High School FFA | "Ag Day" expenses | $450 |
| Talawanda Middle School | Fishing club equipment | $1,350 |
| Talawanda Middle School | Electric install for greenhouse | $600 |
| The Coleraine Historical Society | Flashdrive | $179 |
| The Oxford Catty Shack | Cat rehab materials | $600 |
| Trenton Fire Department | Equipment | $1,000 |
| UCHS After Prom Parent Committee | After prom supplies | $1,500 |
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