Straker Foundation Adjusts Grant Cycle Procedures

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – As Muskingum County forges ahead into the 21st Century many local organizations are struggling to catch up or keep pace with the times. 

Funding for those needs can be financially overwhelming. The J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation has been a major grant provider for local improvements and are adjusting their grant reviewal process to better visually understand how to accommodate a broader scope of all the necessities.

“In January of this year, we had our usual big-grant cycle,” Foundation Senior Program Director Pam Kirst said. “And we had $1.1 Million to allot and thought that would be ample. But to our great surprise, we received $7.1 Million in requests. And the requests ranged in size from $250 to $2.5 Million.” 

The grant criteria centers around the arts, education and character development of Muskingum County youth. At times, some of the smaller grant requests meet some of the greatest needs. Reviewing all of last year’s applications took longer than expected and necessitated a better way of processing all of the paperwork. 

“We have, kind of, three levels,” Kirst said. “We have a small grant for people who are looking for funds up to $15,000. The probably regular section is $15,000 to $150,000 and we’re instituting a letter of inquiry process for that. So that people don’t have to go through the entire grant cycle before learning, maybe their request is not successful.”

The Foundation will accept small grant requests, up to $15,000.00, during August, 2025. Organizations pursuing grants up to $150,000.00 will submit Letters of Inquiry (LOI) in Fall 2025 to determine if they should pursue a grant in January 2026. Those who hope to make large requests of more than $150,000.00 must contact the Straker Foundation to discuss possible next steps.

For more details on how the foundation will be adjusting their entire grant distribution process, you can visit them online.