The White River Hometowns Fund is now accepting applications for projects benefiting the communities of Buckley, Wilkeson and Carbonado.

The endowment will distribute $66,600 to residents of the Mount Rainier foothills community this year. Applications will be accepted until the end of day on Oct. 24 at https://sites.google.com/view/white-river-hometowns-fund/home. Grant recipients will be selected in November, and the money will be sent out before the end of the year.

Mary Beth Holmes, the coordinator of the White River Families First Coalition, leads the grant process along with Marcy Boulet at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

There’s no maximum amount an applicant can request, but the fund tries to spread the love over multiple projects, according to Holmes. Anyone with an idea and the passion to improve their community can apply, not simply existing non-profits.

Applications are encouraged “even for a 500 dollar project to put a community garden in their neighborhood,” Holmes said. “We would love to see people apply who aren’t part of a big organization, who just have a passion for bettering their community.”

Previous awardees include the Community Presbyterian Church, the Plateau Outreach Ministries and White River Community Outreach. Their work has included (but not been limited to) delivering meals for students, providing emergency social services to rural residents and assisting the elderly and the homeless with accessing basic needs.

The White River Hometowns Fund was created by Marydale Brooks, a Buckley community resident and philanthropist who died in 2018. The money itself is managed and disbursed through the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation

The Hometowns Fund is also looking for people to serve on its grant review committee this year; those interested can apply using the same link.