Community Connection

Butler Rural
Community Connection

Thank you to those who contribute to Community Connection!

Your donations have funded over $1.7 million in grants to improve our community since September 1994!

The next Community Connection application deadline is August 29. The Community Connection Board of Trustees will meet September 2025 to award fall grants.

Butler Rural Community Connection provides grants to local non-profit groups, schools, and organizations in portions of Butler, Montgomery, Preble and Hamilton counties. Funds for the program come from cooperative members and employees who voluntarily contribute to Community Connection each month. Some members choose to allow their monthly electric bills to be rounded to the next dollar amount, and the extra change is allocated to Community Connection. Other members and employees choose to donate a specific amount each month, or give
a one-time donation.

Learn More

Any non-profit group(must be 501c3), school, or organization located within Butler Rural Electric Cooperative's service territory is eligible to apply. Those who cannot apply for grants include political candidates and political parties. Organizations or groups who intend to use the grant money to pay their utility bills are not eligible to apply.

The maximum grant amount is $5,000. However, no request is too small. You may have additional pages with the application. Please do not exceed five pages. Please provide five copies of the application and any supporting material (up to five pages total).

Include a list of the itemized costs for the project. A portion of the amount requested may be awarded if the Community Connection board of trustees choose not to fund the entire grant.
If you are requesting a specific type of equipment, include a picture or description of the item. Many groups include advertisements from vendors that list the price and description of the item they need. This will not commit you to a specific vendor.
Grants for Apple devices must be purchased by your organization or grant recipient. Butler Rural Community Connection will directly reimburse your organization or the purchaser.
The Community Connection board of trustees reviews all applications.
Funds are awarded in September and March of each year. The meeting date is posted on the cooperative's website as soon as it is decided. You will be contacted by letter after the meeting. The grant winners are also posted on the cooperative's website.

2025 FALL APPLICATIONS WILL BE RELEASED ON JULY 1.

Five Butler Rural Electric Cooperative members serve on the Community Connection board of trustees. Each board member lives in different areas of the cooperative’s service territory and has diverse backgrounds and experiences. These members volunteer their time to serve on the Community Connection board and have a drive to do something positive for the community. They review hundreds of grant applications each year.

From left is Tom Laming, Janet Jewell, John Hofmann, Monica Neeley, and Don Kidd.

Since 1994, Butler Rural Community Connection has awarded over $1.7 million in grants to local schools, non-profit organizations, and emergency management services. In March 2025, Butler Rural Community Connection received 44 applications requesting more than $84,000. The Community Connection program funded 30 of these grants, totaling $40,701.74.

Spring 2025 Community Connection Grant Recipients

Organization	Comments	$ Granted
Animal Friends Humane Society	Computers	$1,100.00
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County	Club of Unmatched Littles	$2,000.00
City of Oxford Fire Department	CPR manikins	$1,700.00
College Corner Community Club	Fireworks	$1,765.00
College Corner Union School	After school tutoring program	$1,500.00
Crosby Township Senior Citizens Club	Creative Aging of Cincinnati membership	$800.00
Cub Scout Pack 3961 Kiwanis Club of Oxford	Fall Campout fees	$1,500.00
Edgewood Early Childhood Center	Reflexes and Reading program	$890.00
Edgewood Primary School	Phonic resources	$890.00
Hope's Closet	Clothes for foster care children	$3,840.00
Lil Friends of the Library Preschool	Technology upgrades	$1,900.00
Marshall Elementary School	Sensory pathway	$455.00
National Inventors Hall of Fame	Camp Invention	$2,000.00
Oxford Brave Field Hockey	Facility rental cost	$1,400.00
Oxford Museum Association	Doty Homestead educational program	$336.68
Pathway to Hope Pregnancy Care Center	Pregnancy and Infant Essentials program	$2,400.00
Preble Shawnee Jr. Sr. High School - English Department	Cincinnati Shakespeare Company play	$1,250.00
Ross Middle School Rambotics	Laptops and printer	$1,000.00
Safe Haven Farms	Animal care program	$1,500.00
Southwest Local School District	CPR manikins	$1,719.90
Talawanda High School Botany	Krohn Conservatory field trip	$362.78
Talawanda High School FFA	Field trip transportation	$900.00
Talawanda High School Parent Initiative Team	After prom	$1,500.00
Talawanda Middle School	Swim field trip	$400.93
Talawanda Middle School 6th Grade STEM	Finch Robot 2.0	$891.45
Talawanda Middle School Fishing Club	Fishing gear and equipment	$700.00
Talawanda School District	3D printer	$1,400.00
The Coleraine Historical Society	Sprayers for grave stone cleaning	$600.00
Three Valley Conservation Trust	Signage	$2,500.00
Union County High School Parent After Prom Committee	After prom	$1,500.00

Community Connection Donation Form

To donate to Butler Rural Community Connection, please provide us with the following information.

You will not be making a donation now, the chosen amount will be added to your electric bill.

Name

Service Address

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative only serves addresses located in Ohio.

City/Town

State/Province

ZIP/Postal Code

Account Number

Email Address

Donation Level/Frequency of the Donation

Donation Amount

Butler Rural
Community Connection

Thank you to those who contribute to Community Connection!

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Butler Rural Community Connection

Thank you to those who contribute to Community Connection!

2023 Community Connection Annual Report

Eligibility

How to Apply for a Community Connection Grant