About the Bowling Green Community Foundation
The Bowling Green Community Foundation exists to help generosity make a lasting difference in Bowling Green. We partner with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to steward charitable funds and invest in programs that enhance community wellbeing.
A Trusted Partner in Local Philanthropy Since 1994
The Bowling Green Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving quality of life in the Bowling Green area by helping generosity take root and create lasting local impact. Funded entirely through private contributions, the Foundation exists to serve as a trusted philanthropic partner for individuals, families, businesses, and organizations who want to give back to the community they care about.
At the heart of our work is the stewardship of charitable funds established by donors with a wide range of passions and priorities. Through the Foundation, anyone can create a fund, whether to support a specific cause, honor a loved one, award scholarships, or address evolving community needs. These funds allow donors to make a meaningful impact today while building a legacy that benefits Bowling Green for generations.
One of the primary ways these funds create impact is through our annual competitive grantmaking process. Each year, nonprofit organizations serving the Bowling Green community apply for funding, and proposals are carefully reviewed by a volunteer grants committee. Grants are awarded to support programs in the year ahead, addressing areas such as education and youth development, health and safety, environmental sustainability, recreation, and the visual and performing arts.
Together, these efforts reflect a powerful partnership between generous donors and the nonprofit organizations working every day to serve Bowling Green residents. It is through this collaboration that thousands of lives are touched each year and the vitality of Bowling Green continues to grow.
Trusted by organizations across Wood County
History of the Foundation
Marcia Latta, Founding President
A Community Vision Brought to Life
The Bowling Green Community Foundation began as a project considered by the members of the 1993 Leadership BG charter class, but was later completed by five of its members. Marcia Latta, Lee Hakel, Jon Klever, John Harden, and Joyce Horton met bi-weekly for nearly eighteen months to research other community foundations, develop a marketing plan, as well as to determine its service area boundaries, its method of operation, and its goals. They spoke to service clubs, recruited charter trustees, and solicited funds. It was also decided to align the Foundation with the Toledo Community Foundation for investment purposes, but to maintain the Board’s control of fundraising and the distribution of funds. The agreement with TCF was signed on December 22, 1994.
Dorothy and Ashel Bryan gave the BGCF $5,000 as seed money to start its operation. With the assistance of an anonymous donor’s gift of $25,000 and a legacy gift from John Davidson, the Board raised $100,000 by June 30, 1996. A plaque listing charter year donors is on display in the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Office. The Foundation awarded its first grants to non-profit organizations in 1997 and continues to do so annually in late fall of each year.
Generosity That Started It All
The Bowling Green Community Foundation was launched through the generosity and confidence of its earliest supporters. Dorothy and Ashel Bryan provided the Foundation’s first seed gift of $5,000, helping transform an idea into a functioning organization. Their early investment signaled a shared belief in the power of local philanthropy and encouraged others to step forward.
That initial support was soon strengthened by an anonymous contribution of $25,000, along with a legacy gift from John Davidson. Together, these gifts inspired the Foundation’s Board to build broader community support, and by June 30, 1996, $100,000 had been raised to establish the Foundation’s operations and long-term viability.
With this strong base in place, the Bowling Green Community Foundation awarded its first grants to local nonprofit organizations in 1997. Since that time, the Foundation has continued to award grants annually in late fall, supporting programs and initiatives that enhance quality of life across Bowling Green. These early gifts laid the groundwork for a lasting tradition of giving, one that continues to grow through the generosity of donors who believe in the strength and promise of their community.
Ashel G. Bryan (1921-2010)
“The overall objective was to improve the quality of life in Bowling Green through volunteer efforts and philanthropy, and that is truly happening. From grants to children’s groups, funding to arts organizations projects for seniors, and downtown beautification efforts, BGCF has made a positive impact on the community.”
