The Saint Anthony Park Community Foundation approved $20,733 in grant awards as the first part of it special 15th anniversary awards package. The foundation will award an additional $15,000 this fall to be paid out over the next three years to the winner of its recently announced grants competition.
Education leads the list of funding priorities with grants going to support arts and science programming at local schools. In addition, the Gerald R. McKay Family Music Fund provided grant money for the band programs at Murray Middle School and Como Park Senior High School, as well as the school outreach coordinated by Music in the Park Series.
Other grantees included the St. Anthony Park Area Seniors, which received a grant for ongoing services and the community-wide assessment process the groups is working on with Wilder Research; the Park Bugle for expansion of its coverage of the business communities in the area; the District 12 Community Council to help support increased transportation and communication around light rail and the Creative Enterprise Zone; Keystone Community Services to help address ongoing needs in the area; and St. Paul Magic, which has formed a local athletic team to compete in the Special Olympics.
St. Anthony Park residents have given more than $400,000 to the foundation in the past 15 years, according to executive director Jon Schumacher.
The 15th Anniversary Grant Competition will be accepting entries from June 1 through July 31. The public will be asked to vote on the top three finalists in mid-August. There’s more information online at sapfoundation.org.
