The Laura Jane Musser Fund aims to foster collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural areas, emphasizing strengthening communities across various civic areas such as economic development, arts, public space enhancement, and education, to bring about positive societal change.
The Intercultural Harmony Grant seeks to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation between different cultural backgrounds through collaborative, cross-cultural exchange projects. These projects must cover more than one culture, demonstrating intercultural exchange and fostering harmony, tolerance, understanding, and respect across cultural lines. Priority is placed on initiatives that include diverse cultural community members working together towards common goals, building positive intercultural relationships, enhancing communication while appreciating each culture's uniqueness, and having tangible benefits for the community. The grant offers planning funds (up to $5,000) and implementation funds (up to $25,000), supporting a variety of areas such as community service, youth activities, and the arts. Eligible projects can be new initiatives or in the first three years of operation and should result in tangible outcomes like enhanced intercultural exchange, improved interactions between groups, shared use of public spaces, and continued cross-cultural cooperation.