Any non-profit group, 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.

The next Community Connection application deadline is March 1st, 2024. The Community Connection Board of Trustees will meet March 13 to award spring grants.

NEW APPLICATIONS WILL BE RELEASED JANUARY 1ST, 2024. 

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.

In the fall of 2023, Community Connection received 64 applications requesting over $130,000. The Butler Rural Community Connection Board of Trustees met on September 13, 2023 and awarded 43 grants, totaling $39,608 to the following organizations and groups.

Community Connection grant recipients from September 13, 2023