Eighteen Muskingum County organizations — fire departments, food pantries, youth baseball leagues, animal shelters and a child advocacy center among them — are sharing $200,000 in new grants from the J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation, the Zanesville Times Recorder reported.
The awards came through the foundation’s August 2026 small grant cycle, and demand far outpaced the money available: the foundation received nearly $900,000 in requests, according to the community announcement reported by the Zanesville Times Recorder. The grants went to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, accredited educational organizations and government entities, and the foundation’s disbursement team recently finalized the awards, which included full and partial funding, the Times Recorder reported.
Several of the grants go directly to the safety services Muskingum County residents rely on. The Newton Township Fire Department received support for LifePak training — the equipment firefighters and medics use in cardiac emergencies — and the South Zanesville Fire Department received support for turnout gear, the protective clothing firefighters wear into burning buildings, according to the announcement reported by the Times Recorder.
Children and families anchor another large share of the list. Brave Beginnings Child Advocacy Center received support for forensic medical supplies, the Carr Center for resurfacing its playground space, Forever Dads for replacement of worn carpet, and the United Way of Muskingum, Perry, and Morgan Counties for weekend and holiday food for students — the bags that carry kids who rely on school meals through the days school is out, according to the Times Recorder’s report of the announcement.
Animals and food security round out the community basics. The Humane Society of Muskingum County received supplies for its fosters, the Chatty Cat Compassion Fund received support for shelter and rehoming costs, and the Limestone Valley Food Pantry received support for remediation of a box truck — the vehicle that moves food to the people the pantry serves, according to the announcement.
Young people and the arts share the rest of the list. Franklin Youth Baseball received support for field drainage and the Y-City Youth Baseball League for safety netting; Zanesville City Schools received support for drivers’ education costs; the Dresden Elementary Amateur Radio Club received support for an antenna repair; and Junior Achievement received support for its Aspire event, according to the Times Recorder. The David Schubach Band and the Zanesville Memorial Concert Band each received support for 2027 programming costs.
Taken together, the 18 awards read like a map of how Muskingum County actually runs day to day: two fire departments, two youth baseball leagues, two concert bands, a food pantry, a transit agency, a child advocacy center and the schools themselves. None of the projects in the announcement is large on its own — a truck repair, an antenna, safety netting, carpet — but each one is the kind of unglamorous expense that small organizations struggle to cover from bake sales and dues alone, which is precisely the gap a community foundation’s small grant cycle is built to fill.
Two more grants invest in buildings where the community gathers. Southeastern Ohio Area Transit received support for the establishment of a training and community room, and Trulight Ministries received support for rehabilitation of a newly acquired building, according to the announcement reported by the Zanesville Times Recorder.
The Straker awards continue a season of community foundation giving across Southeast Ohio, where the Marietta Community Foundation’s $2 million match has been doubling gifts for Washington County nonprofits. In neighboring Ross County, meanwhile, the Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library is marking the retirement of its longtime director — another reminder of how much of the region’s civic life runs through a small set of local institutions.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know: 18 organizations were funded from nearly $900,000 in requests, with awards covering both full and partial funding of the projects listed in the announcement. What we are still waiting on: the individual dollar amount for each organization, which the announcement reported by the Times Recorder did not break out, and the timing of the foundation’s next small grant cycle for the organizations whose requests could not be funded this round.
Organizations that want to learn more can contact the J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation at [email protected] or 740-297-7007, according to the Zanesville Times Recorder.
What happens next is the work itself: turnout gear ordered, a playground resurfaced, a food pantry truck repaired and a transit training room built — 18 small projects, spread across Muskingum County, that residents will start seeing in the months ahead.
Photo: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0