Members of The Butler Collaborative for Families held a “Holiday Huddle” on Dec. 14, 2023 at Monarch Place. Butler Eagle file photo

The deadline to register as a member of Butler Collaborative for Families (BCF) was Thursday, but the agency extended the deadline to March 14, when the agency has a general membership meeting scheduled.

Lorna Gavin, coordinator for BCF, expects more people and agencies to join the organization by the time the grant application is due at the end of October. According to Gavin, membership costs $25 a year for individuals; $50 for businesses; $75 for places of worship; and $150 for nonprofits. She said BCF has 42 registered members, but the agency ended last year with 72 members, so the organization gave out a $4,000 grant, plus an additional grant thanks to a match from Trinity Lutheran Church.

“We use half of what we get from our membership dues for the grant fund,” Gavin said. “That amount changes from year to year.”

Gavin said the grant recipient is announced at the annual Celebration of Collaboration at the end of the year, but organizations can start applying for the mini-grant in September. Last year, Glade Run Lutheran Services received a grant for its warming center, and a financial literacy program received money through the Trinity Lutheran Church match.

The agencies vote on which project should receive the grant money at a meeting once applications close.

The main applicant must be a nonprofit organization, and the programs eligible to receive money have to be new initiatives, Gavin said.

“September is when we know the amount of money. They have until the end of October to do their grant writing,” Gavin said.

For more information on the BCF mini-grants, visit the group’s website at butlerfamilies.com.