Trenton, Missouri, May 19, 2010 – The Trustees of the GEC Community Foundation, Inc. met May 18, 2010 and awarded $5,638.01 in grant allocations to recipients in Grundy, Mercer and Harrison in Missouri and Wayne County, Iowa. Successful recipients included Princeton R-V Elementary and High School, Princeton; SouthHarrison R-II Elementary School, Bethany; Grundy County R-V Elementary School, Humphreys; Trenton Middle School, Trenton; Friends of the Bethany Public Library, Bethany and the Far &Near 4-H Club, all in Missouri and the City of Lineville, Lineville, Iowa.

Since 2005, the GEC Community Foundation, Inc. has awarded 172 grants totaling over $131,282.96 to deserving schools and community organizations. The Foundation assists qualifying schools and organizations with grant monies in the areas of education, health and rural development. The funds are open to eligible entities within Grundy Electric Cooperative’s 12 county service area which includes, Harrison, Mercer and Grundy counties and portions of Linn, Livingston, Daviess, Gentry, Putnam, and Sullivan counties in Missouri and portions of Ringgold,Wayne and Decatur counties in Iowa.

The Foundation, which is operated on a volunteer basis, is primarily funded through the Operation Round-Up Program. This program allows GEC members and customers of the PublicWater Supply District Number 1 of Grundy County to voluntarily “round up” their utility bill to the next even dollar. The PWSD Round-Up funds are disbursed solely to projects located in GrundyCounty. For an average of $6.00 per year participating patrons assist in funding local community projects.

The next grant application deadline is August 1, 2010. Qualified applicants must be a non-profit501 (c) (3) organization or other eligible entity and may apply for a grant by completing a grantapplication with supporting information. Grant applications are available at www.grundyec.com or by calling Grundy Electric Cooperative at (660) 359-3941 or Toll Free 1-800-279-2249, extension 23 or 33.