Making A Difference Community Improvement Project Grant

The Making A Difference Community Improvement Project Grant is an annual grant opportunity offered by the Hinton Area Foundation. The Hinton Area Foundation traces its origins to a community effort that began in 1991, when Hinton residents organized to create a local entity capable of mobilizing charitable funds. The Foundation received its West Virginia charter on March 6, 1992, and later received tax-exempt status from the IRS. Its early development included a challenge grant associated with the Dr. Thomas Walker Foundation and substantial local fundraising. The Foundation continues to administer charitable resources and grant opportunities serving community needs. The Making A Difference Community Improvement Project Grant is specifically intended to support community improvement projects proposed by local organizations. Projects are expected to engage community members through volunteerism while continuing the legacy of a thriving community. This emphasis establishes community improvement and volunteer participation as the central features of the opportunity. The source does not provide a more detailed list of allowable project expenses, prohibited costs, capital expenditure rules, administrative cost limits, or other spending restrictions for this particular grant. The source identifies local organizations as the organizations proposing eligible community improvement projects, but it does not further define the organizational forms that qualify. It does not state whether applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or whether governments, schools, businesses, fiscally sponsored organizations, faith-based organizations, or other organizational structures may apply. The source also does not provide detailed geographic boundaries for the word local. The Hinton Area Foundation is based at 104 James Street, Hinton, West Virginia 25951, but the provided grant language does not explicitly define the eligible service area by county, municipality, ZIP code, or other boundary. No matching or cost-sharing requirement is stated. Applications are submitted through the Hinton Area Foundation's Online Grant Application Portal. The source provides a direct link to the portal but does not identify required narratives, attachments, budgets, financial statements, letters, certifications, or other application components for this grant. No letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is stated. The provided material also does not identify a named program contact or program email. The Foundation's general contact phone number is 304.309.5502, and its listed mailing address is PO Box 217, Hinton, West Virginia 25951. The Making A Difference Community Improvement Project Grant operates on an annual application cycle. The application opens annually in September and applications are due October 1. For the upcoming 2026 cycle, this establishes September 2026 as the opening period and October 1, 2026 as the final due date. The source does not provide a specific day in September on which the application portal opens, so an exact application opening date is not stated. No application deadline time, question-and-answer deadline, award notification date, project start date, project completion date, or performance period is provided for this grant. The source does not state a minimum award, maximum award, total amount available through the program, or anticipated number of awards. It also does not provide formal scoring criteria or a detailed evaluation process. The clearest source-based considerations are therefore the stated program purpose: proposed projects should improve the community, engage community members through volunteerism, and contribute to the continuing legacy of a thriving community. Applicants should use the Hinton Area Foundation's online application portal during the annual September application period and submit by October 1. Because the opportunity expressly operates annually, another application cycle is expected following the 2026 cycle, subject to continuation of the program by the Foundation.

Clearly connect the proposed project to community improvement, show how community members will be engaged through volunteerism, and demonstrate how the project contributes to the legacy of a thriving community.