Twenty-five nonprofit organizations in the county have been awarded a total of $30,000 by the organization that runs the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival.

The Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association (FBJA) announced the awards late Tuesday night. The group said that nonprofits selected to receive a financial award would receive amounts ranging from $500 to $2,500. This is the second year that FBJA has doled out the financial awards, which are funded through proceeds from the annual Jeep festival.

Festival director Patti Jo Lambert said that this year the pool of applicants was a bit smaller that last year, with more than 40 organizations turning in requests. Lambert said it wasn't clear why fewer organizations requested funds this year. But FBJA decided to increase the total amount distributed and the number of nonprofits receiving an award because of the impact made by last year's donations.Lambert said that impact statements and project photographs from nonprofit groups were shared with the 50 members of FBJA's festival planning committee earlier this year, and the group was thrilled with the reports.“We're really excited,” Lambert said. “It was just so meaningful ... to see what they're doing. Not only are we working hard together to create this great event, but there's even more we're accomplishing for the community.”

Lambert said the group would be mailing out checks starting next week.

The organizations that were selected to receive the awards are: American Legion Post 474 auxiliary, Zelienople, the Butler County chapter of North Country Trail Association, Butler County Blind Association, Butler County Family YMCA, Butler County Symphony Association, Butler Downtown, Butler Meals on Wheels Inc., the Center for Community Resources, Community Care Connections Inc., Community Health Clinic of Butler County, Connecting2Tomorrow Inc., Critical Incident Stress Management Team of Butler County, Don't Stop Dreamin', Ellen O'Brien Gaiser Center, Evans City Public Library Association, Grapevine Center Inc., Life Choices, One Voice for the Abused Domestic Animals, Penn Theater Performance Company, South Butler Community Library, Specialty Outreach Services Inc., The Butler Little Theatre, The Salvation Army, Victim Outreach Intervention Center, Washington's Trail.