JW & MH Straker Charitable Foundation

10/20/2026

JUST TWO DAYS LEFT! Muskingum County's young changemakers, this is your chance!

Have an idea that could make your school, neighborhood, or community a better place? The J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation wants to help you make it happen!

Up to $2,500 in grant funding is available for youth-led community projects created by students ages 5–18. Big ideas, small ideas, creative ideas — if it can make a positive difference, it's worth exploring!

📅 Applications close THIS THURSDAY, October 22!

Parents, teachers, coaches, nonprofit leaders and community members — we need your help getting this opportunity in front of local students before the deadline. A quick conversation or a shared post could be all it takes to encourage a young person to apply!

Don't let a great idea miss its chance. The deadline is almost here!

Learn more and apply: https://www.strakerfoundation.org/

10/12/2026

10/06/2026

The J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation’s Youth-Led Community Grants give Muskingum County students ages 5–18 the chance to take those ideas beyond the “what if?” stage.

Grants of up to $2,500 are available for youth-led projects that make a positive difference in our community. Students may apply individually or as a group in partnership with a sponsoring nonprofit organization.

📅 Applications are due October 22, 2026.

Parents, teachers, coaches, youth leaders and nonprofit organizations—help us spread the word to the young changemakers in your life. Their idea could be the next one to make a difference!

Learn more and apply: https://www.strakerfoundation.org/Grant-Application/Youth-Led-Community-Grants/

10/01/2026

Applications open TODAY!

The J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation’s Youth-Led Community Grants application cycle is officially open, giving young people in Muskingum County the opportunity to turn their ideas into action.

Students ages 5–18 may apply individually or as part of a group for grants of up to $2,500 to support projects and programs that benefit the community. Applications must be submitted in partnership with a sponsoring nonprofit organization.

📅 Applications are open October 1–22, 2026.

Have an idea? Now’s the time to put it into motion!

Learn more and apply:
https://www.strakerfoundation.org/Grant-Application/Youth-Led-Community-Grants/

09/30/2026

We are excited to share another step forward for South East Area Transit! 💙

As we anticipate moving into our new facility located at 14 S. 5th Street in Zanesville, we are especially excited about creating a dedicated training and meeting center that will serve our staff, transportation providers, and community partners.

A huge THANK YOU to the Straker Foundation for awarding SEAT a $25,000 grant to help complete this important space. Their investment will allow us to provide a professional training environment focused on safety, education, collaboration, and continued improvement in transportation services throughout our community.

This room will be more than a meeting space—it will be a place where transportation providers receive vital safety training, community partners come together, and new ideas and partnerships are built.

We are incredibly excited about what is ahead for SEAT and can't wait to welcome our community partners into our new home! 🚌💙

Thank you, JW & MH Straker Charitable Foundation, for investing in SEAT, transportation safety, and our community!

09/29/2026

The Straker Foundation’s next Letter of Inquiry cycle opens October 1.

Muskingum County 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, governmental entities and accredited educational institutions may submit LOIs for funding requests between $25,000 and $250,000 through October 31, 2026.

Organizations with successful LOIs will be invited to submit a full grant application in January 2027.

Details, requirements and the LOI portal are available here:
https://www.strakerfoundation.org/Grant-Application/

Questions? Contact the Straker Foundation at [email protected] or 740-297-7007.

09/18/2026

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center (MVESC) is opening a food truck run by students in its disability services programs. Students from the adult success program, ages 18 to 22, served their first customers in the parking lot of the J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Fo...

09/16/2026

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years ago, September 11 changed our country in ways that continue to be felt today.

We remember the lives that were taken, the courage shown in the face of unimaginable circumstances, and the strength found in communities across the nation in the days and months that followed.

A generation has now grown up since that day. The responsibility to remember—and to help younger generations understand why we remember—belongs to all of us.

On this 25th anniversary, we honor the past while carrying forward the values that strengthen communities: service, compassion, courage and care for one another.

09/02/2026