Best Swisher County Grants for Nonprofits in Texas

About Marion Community Foundation

Since 1998, area residents have been turning to Marion Community Foundation to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. We are a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern … improving the quality of life in Marion County.

Individuals, families, businesses and organizations create permanent charitable funds that help our community meet its needs and challenges. The Foundation invests and administers these funds.

Jeannette Turner Memorial Scholarship

Dorothy Ellen Thew, a lifelong member of the Marion community, left, as part of her legacy, a gift to create three scholarship funds at Marion Community Foundation. A noteworthy person in her own right, Dorothy designated that three scholarship funds be created from her estate to honor beloved members of her family. The Jeannette Turner Memorial Scholarship, created in 2010, honors her aunt’s work as a teacher at the former Silver Street Elementary School.

About Marion Community Foundation

Since 1998, area residents have been turning to Marion Community Foundation to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. We are a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern … improving the quality of life in Marion County.

Individuals, families, businesses and organizations create permanent charitable funds that help our community meet its needs and challenges. The Foundation invests and administers these funds.

John & Jackie Watkins Scholarship

This scholarship recognizes the long history of Marion County as an agricultural area and the importance of farming in our community. John and Jackie Watkins both grew up in Delaware County and attended Radnor schools. They knew the value of education and its lifelong benefits.

Following Jackie’s passing in 1998, the family established the John & Jackie Watkins Scholarship Fund in her memory to assist the youth of Marion County to attend college—specifically to study agriculture. The Watkins Fund makes awards to graduating seniors from any high school in Marion County who are pursuing an education in agriculture, with special consideration given to those who have participated in FFA.

Chick-fil-A Impact Accelerator

With the goal of helping organizations sustain their purpose and scale their impact, the Chick-fil-A Impact Accelerator brings together hundreds of nonprofit leaders to learn from influential national thought leaders through a one-day conference and a 12-month cohort program. By providing training, support, and resources – and fostering connections with fellow nonprofit leaders and change makers - Chick-fil-A Impact Accelerator invites nonprofit organizations to greater long-term impact as we serve and contribute to our communities together.

Cohort Program: 12-Month Accelerated Growth Program

Nonprofit Founders and Executive Directors are invited to apply for in-depth training, development, and networking by Plywood People through a grant-funded 12-month cohort program sponsored by Chick-fil-A.

• In-Person Kick-off Training Session
• 3-Day Retreat near Atlanta
• 9 Half-Day Monthly Group Coaching Sessions

Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)Founded in 1956, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils, and higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society.

CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. CIC offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility.NetVUE Grants for Fostering Leadership for Communities of FaithThis grant program provides funding for institutions that are working to augment their support for students who are considering possible callings to leadership roles in communities of faith.

Grant funds should be used to develop or extend programming for students, and/or professional development for faculty members and staff, with the goal of connecting students to local faith communities and supporting them as they explore and discern their callings. Initiatives may be developed within or across a variety of academic departments and campus offices, and should involve leaders of one or more faith communities near campus. NetVUE Grants for Fostering Leadership for Communities of Faith may be requested in amounts ranging up to $60,000 for use over two years to develop new programs, or to strengthen existing programs, that support students as they consider vocations of leadership for communities of faith.

The Council of Independent Colleges

Founded in 1956, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils, and higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society.

CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. CIC offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility.

NetVUE Grant Programs

NetVUE offers a variety of grants to member institutions, supporting programming for students and professional development for faculty members and staff. Grants support projects ranging from one to four years in length. Grant programs are tailored to differing circumstances among member institutions, including their particular areas of interest, their bandwidth and capacity for administering projects, and the depth of their previous engagement with vocational exploration and discernment. NetVUE grants are administered by the Council of Independent Colleges, with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.

NetVUE Grants for Reframing the Institutional Saga

Many NetVUE member colleges and universities have strong historical ties to a specific religious tradition, a particular educational philosophy, or a pioneering educator. These elements of an institution’s heritage are important, but their significance may not always be clear in the midst of changes in the institution’s demographic profile, surrounding community, and founding organizations. These changes can influence student recruitment and retention, curriculum design, and the composition of faculty. The purpose of this grant program is to enable institutions to produce an updated account of their history and mission in light of their current context.

The Council of Independent Colleges

Founded in 1956, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils, and higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society.

CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. CIC offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility.

NetVUE Grant Programs

NetVUE offers a variety of grants to member institutions, supporting programming for students and professional development for faculty members and staff. Grants support projects ranging from one to four years in length. Grant programs are tailored to differing circumstances among member institutions, including their particular areas of interest, their bandwidth and capacity for administering projects, and the depth of their previous engagement with vocational exploration and discernment. NetVUE grants are administered by the Council of Independent Colleges, with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.

NetVUE Professional Development Awards

Colleges and universities that are members of NetVUE are committed to campus activities that encourage vocational exploration by students. Many NetVUE campus leaders have observed, however, that supplemental funding at even modest levels to support opportunities for the professional development of staff and faculty members would enable their institutions to strengthen vocational exploration programming. In an era of careful institutional budgeting, institutional operating funds are not always available for such professional development opportunities. NetVUE Professional Development Awards seek to address this need.

NetVUE Professional Development Awards may be requested for use over one year for professional development activities that enhance the knowledge, skills, and expertise of faculty and staff members who play important roles in undergraduate vocational initiatives. The purpose of this grant is to develop campus conversations about vocation and to deepen the capacity of those who lead vocational exploration efforts at NetVUE member institutions. A special initiative within this grant, focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion, allows for proposals of up to $25,000.

Funds may be used for a range of purposes, but not to substitute for faculty and staff costs that the institution is presently providing for its vocational exploration activities. Grant funds could, for example, support reading groups, faculty/staff retreats, or bringing speakers to campus; funds may be used to provide materials, pay expenses for travel and/or meals, and offer modest stipends.

Theresa Alessandra Russo Foundation Inc

The Theresa Foundation honors the memory of Theresa Alessandra Russo by touching the lives of children with special needs and their families. The Foundation fosters each child’s unique abilities by supporting programs focusing on art, music, dance, drama, and recreation.

The Theresa Foundation has a vision of the world where artistic expression and physical recreation are just as important to adults as they are to children. We believe in a world where every child, regardless of ability or challenging conditions, is free to communicate through and participate in every art or recreational activity. A society without art is a society without soul. Art enables us to express our inner thoughts, fears, joys, and sadness.  

The Theresa Foundation Grant Program

The Theresa Foundation Grant Program is committed to providing financial support for programs in art, music, dance, drama, or recreation that are designed specifically for children with special needs in order to ensure that no one is excluded from these activities. 

We believe that every individual should have the opportunity to participate in art, music, dance, drama or recreation if they so choose. Our grant program works to provide direct funding for the success of these activities, while also promoting an environment of acceptance and inclusiveness where all can take part without judgment or fear. 

As of 2026, the Theresa Foundation has provided over $3,300,000 in grant funding for over 200 programs in 29 states throughout the country and 4 international grants. With your help we can continue to make a difference in the lives of those with special needs by providing them access to enriching experiences that would otherwise be out of reach.