SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — The Mary Chilton DAR Foundation awards nearly $15,000 for improvements at a historic village at the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls.
The civic organization also gave the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation $15,000 for its First Time Teacher Grants and Public School Proudprogram.
A number of other schools and organizations also received grants.
Since 1987, the DAR has given over $2.5 million to South Dakota organizations.
Below is the group’s news release on the awards.
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A historic village on display at W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls is among the biggest beneficiaries of grants awarded so far in 2020 by the Mary Chilton DAR Foundation.
The Minnehaha Century Club has been granted $14,947 from the DAR Foundation to help preserve buildings and improve safety features at the group’s public attraction along Pioneer Lane at the fairgrounds.
Members of the DAR Foundation and the local DAR chapter are excited to help the Century Club with its historic and educational site, said Judy Tucker Goetz, who chairs the DAR Foundation’s Grants Committee. “It’s a good project,” Tucker Goetz said. “They’re trying to preserve some of South Dakota’s history.”
Jeanne Pattison, treasurer of the Minnehaha Century Club, thanked the DAR Foundation for the grant. “It’s greatly appreciated and will be well spent,” she said.
The nonprofit Century Club strives to preserve the buildings and provide education about how the structures were used. The club plans to use about $9,000 of its grant for maintenance of the Fersdahl Cabin, one of four buildings on the site. Other structures include a school, railroad depot and church.
“We’ll be doing some chinking, staining and insect treatment on the cabin to help preserve the logs,” Pattison said.
Other work planned at the display includes the installation of hand railings and ramps in a bandstand area, which is used to host speakers and performers.
The award to the Century Club is one of eight Regular Grants totaling more than $51,000 from the DAR Foundation’s January and May selection periods. A third round of grants for 2020 will be selected in September. To be considered, applications must be received prior to Sept. 5.
In addition to the Minnehaha Century Fund, Regular Grants have been awarded to seven other nonprofit organizations in South Dakota for the following projects:
• Yankton County Historical Society to move the historic Dakota Territorial Council Building to the Mead Cultural Education Center. $8,000.
• Siouxland Libraries to bring the exhibit “War Comes Home” to the Sioux Falls Library for an exhibition. $1,700.
• Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation for First Time Teacher Grants and Public School Proud Grants. $15,000.
• South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections for supplies to help save ROTC records damaged by flooding. $2,500.
• South Dakota League of Women Voters to host a Suffrage and 19th Amendment display. $2,250.
• Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls to fund an Open Door Initiative to enable members of low-income families to participate in arts, science, and performing arts camps. $4,000.
• Children’s Home Society of South Dakota to help with social and emotional learning curriculum at the Sioux Falls Children’s Home and Black Hills Children’s Home. $3,200.
In addition, small schools in seven South Dakota communities received Schoolroom Grants of up to $500 for educational supplies or field trips. They were: Avon Public School ($360), Burke Public School ($384), Miller Elementary School ($500), Summit School ($354), Timber Lake Elementary School ($480), Viborg Hurley Middle School ($500), and Webster Area Elementary ($500).
The DAR Foundation awards grants in three categories: Regular Grants ($1,000 to $15,000), Mini-Grants (up to $1,000), and Schoolroom Grants (up to $500).
Regular Grants from the Mary Chilton DAR Foundation are issued to support causes supported by DAR involving education, patriotism, and historic preservation. The organization prefers that applications for Regular Grants be proposed for specific projects, not to partly fund larger programs.
Mini-Grants are designed for projects smaller than those covered by Regular Grants. Schoolroom Grants are available to teachers in grades 3 through 5 in South Dakota school districts with K-12 enrollments of fewer than 1,000 students.
Filing information for DAR grant programs is available online at DAR-MaryChiltonFoundation.org.
Written inquiries about grant policies and procedures may be mailed to: Mary Chilton DAR Foundation, PO Box 90716, Sioux Falls, SD 57109-0716. Prospective grant applicants also may contact Grants Committee Chair Judy Tucker Goetz at jgoetz6970@gmail.com or (605) 413-3798.
