The Vinton Community Fund was created to assist the Vinton County community in growing philanthropic resources to enrich quality of life. All gifts to the Vinton Community Fund will be invested in an endowment fund at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO). From its interest and earnings, this Fund will make grants to support the community for many years to come, ensuring permanent resources designed to address Vinton County’s changing needs over time.

Our work together has already made a difference, and with further investment, our impact on the nonprofits, schools, and communities of our treasured county will only grow. Though the Vinton Community Fund is new, here are some recent grants making a difference in Vinton County through its Family of Funds:

• God’s Hands at Work to support basic needs and transitional items for survivors of domestic abuse;
• Vinton County Middle School to support its civic education activities and upcoming experiential learning opportunities;
• the Wilkesville Community Center and Wilkesville Presbyterian Church to support the local community;
• OhioHealth for its Walking Through Grief program;
• Herbert Wescoat Memorial Library to support programs through the local library; and
• Megan Macke, a middle school educator in Vinton County Local Schools, with a 2021 Jenco Award for her service to the community.

For a limited time, all gifts to the Vinton Community Fund will receive dollar-for-dollar match! 

Thanks to matching funds awarded to FAO by the Ohio Legislature, $300,000 is available for match to the Vinton Community Fund. There is no limit to how much can be matched by a single donor! 

Help us secure match for Vinton County so we can make a greater difference together!

Appalachian Ohio has access to nine times fewer charitable dollars per capita than the rest of the state. At FAO, we understand that a combination of local leadership and regional initiatives is needed to tackle this philanthropy gap that all too often means an opportunity gap for our communities and the people who call them home. One crucial way FAO has sought to address this philanthropy gap is by supporting the efforts of counties in growing philanthropy with the local community, for the local community, including the Vinton Community Fund.

Because we know that lasting resources dedicated to local communities is so vital to creating opportunities, your gift to the Vinton Community Fund will be matched and invested in the endowment to make a long-term, local difference in Vinton County.