EnerStar Electric Cooperative is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a 2024 CoBank Sharing Success matching grant totaling $20,000.  The co-op has successfully secured funds every year since 2012. The grant is intended to help cooperatives support causes and organizations that are important to the communities they serve. This year, the cooperative directed the funds toward organizations that serve at-risk and in-need youth throughout the co-op's service territory.

This year's recipients are the Marshall Area Youth Network, the Martinsville Santa's Helpers, Paris' People Encouraging Remarkable Kids, and Hopes and Dreams, Inc.

With the support of the CoBank grant, the cooperative has awarded a total of $185,000 to area non-profit organizations. Sharing Success grants have been awarded to schools, volunteer fire departments, food pantries, quality-of-life projects, and more. Sharing Success grants have been awarded to schools, volunteer fire departments, food pantries, quality-of-life projects, and more. Please click here for more information about the grant and past recipients. 

CoBank, a non-profit, cooperatively owned bank, plays an important role in supporting rural America by providing financial services to agribusiness and rural electricity, water, and communication providers in all 50 states. Their matching contributions to the charitable organizations of their cooperative members, on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to $5,000, further demonstrate their commitment to the community. The charitable organizations they support, including schools, churches, and government organizations, must be established as a non-profit under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service code.

"EnerStar, as a not-for-profit electric cooperative, is guided by seven cooperative principles, which include 'Cooperation among Cooperatives' and 'Concern for Community,'" said EnerStar's Angela Griffin. "We are very proud to be a part of this program and to witness fellow non-profits thriving with the financial assistance the grant offers. And we are very grateful to CoBank for making this all possible."