Trenton, Missouri, November 28, 2011 – The Trustees of the GEC Community Foundation, Inc. met November 9, 2011 and awarded $5,829.64 in grant allocations to recipients in Grundy, Mercer and Harrison Counties in Missouri and in Wayne County, Iowa.

Successful recipients included the South Harrison R-II High School and South Harrison R-II Elementary School, Bethany; North Mercer R-III High School, Mercer; Grundy County R-V High School, Galt; Laredo R-VII Elementary School, Laredo and Princeton R-V High School, Princeton. The Wayne County Digital Committee located in Wayne County, Iowa was also a recipient of funds.

Since 2005, the GEC Community Foundation, Inc. has awarded 252 grants totaling over $171,533.95 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 Public Water 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 Grundy County. For an average of $6.00 per year participating patrons assist in funding local community projects.

The next grant application deadline is February 1, 2012. Qualified applicants must be a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization or other eligible entity and may apply for a grant by completing a grant application 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.