Sixteen organizations and public entities across Sandusky County will share $93,960.10 in new grant funding from the Sandusky County Communities Foundation, awards the foundation presented October 14 at the Neeley Center at Terra State Community College in Fremont as part of its 2026 Celebration of Philanthropy.
The awards span the county’s everyday needs: Ducks Unlimited received $7,546 for wetland restoration at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, the Sandusky County Food Pantry received $9,180 for a hygiene supplies giveaway, and the Green Springs Rural Volunteer Fire Department received $10,000 toward a replacement dishwasher for its station kitchen.
Several grants target safety and family services directly. The City of Fremont received $6,154 for a project to make automated external defibrillators more accessible, United Way of Sandusky County received $7,500 for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library — the program that mails free books to young children — and the YMCA of Sandusky County received $5,000 for a before- and after-school program serving Fremont schools.
Demand for the foundation’s help far outstripped the money available. The foundation reported receiving 35 applications seeking more than $231,000 in total — roughly two and a half times the amount it was able to award — a gap that underscores how many local projects depend on community philanthropy to get started or stay running.
Community foundations like Sandusky County’s pool donations from local donors into permanent funds, then return the earnings to the county each year as grants. The model means a gift made once keeps funding fire departments, food pantries, school programs and conservation work in the donor’s own backyard year after year.
The foundation’s full recipient list appears in its 2026 Celebration of Philanthropy report. Organizations with questions about the awards or future grant cycles can contact executive director Jesse Stock at [email protected] or 419-334-6299.
The release announcing the awards did not give completion dates for the funded projects, so timelines for the wetland work, the pantry giveaway and the defibrillator installations will be set by each recipient organization in the months ahead.
Photo: Mbrickn, CC BY