Generous Financial Support for Lithuanian Causes – First Round of Project Financing
Thanks to LF members, the generosity of our donors, and bequeathed testaments, the Lithuanian Foundation capital continues to grow every year. With it grow the returns, which allow us to grant more money not only to US Lithuanian diaspora projects but also to finance projects in Lithuania and other regions.
In 2024, the Lithuanian Foundation Board of Directors has allocated a total of $1,750,000 to various projects and scholarships.
The LF Grants Commission gathered for the first round of 2024 allocations on May 18. It consists of 4 members from the LF Board of Directors (Commission Chairman Tauras Bublys, Marius Kasniūnas, Dalius Vasys, and Lina Žlioba (alternate)) and 4 representatives from the Lithuanian-American Community (LAC) (Žygintas Janus, Laura Garnytė, Ingrida Strokovas and Greta Patapovaitė-Bryant (alternate)). The LF Chairman of the Board Juozas Kapačinskas also attended the first allocation meeting, along with Executive Director Jūratė Mereckis and meeting secretary Vida Bieliauskienė.
LF Grants Commission Meeting on May 18, 2024 (from left): Dalius Vasys, Žygis Janus, Ingrida Strokovas, Marius Kasniūnas, Greta Patapovaitė-Bryant, Tauras Bublys (Chairman of the Grants Commission), Laura Garnytė, Lina Žlioba ir Juozas Kapačinskas (LF Chairman of the Board).
Funding is allocated based on the principles outlined in the LF Grants Commission Guidelines, which have been approved by the LF Board of Directors. The Grants Commission encountered a significant challenge, evaluating 135 applications requesting $2,260,124. After thoroughly reviewing all grant requests, the Commission approved 109 grants for a sum of $1,095,925.
Recipients of the first allocations:
Lithuanian-American Community – $552,025
Lithuanian World Community – $24,800
Other US-based Lithuanian Organizations – $466,600
Lithuanian organizations in other countries– $31,000
Organizations in Lithuania – $21,500
Here are some of the projects receiving the most financing during the first allocation: US Lithuanian Heritage schools – $110,000; infrastructure upgrades for the Lithuanian World Center (Lemont, IL) – $60,000; Lithuanian-American Community chapter events – $55,000; Lithuanian International Student Services (LISS) program – $40,000; digitization of Lithuanian newspapers at the Lithuanian Research Center (Lemont, IL) – $35,000.
The following shall receive $30,000 each: preparation for the XVII North American Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival happening in Chicago in 2026, the LAC XXIV Board of Directors Session I happening in Dallas, TX on September 27—29; generator installation at Camp Dainava (Manchester, MI); and the preparation of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture (Chicago, IL) exhibit and artwork restoration for “Lithuanian Artists in Chicago from 1900 to Present Day.”
You can find the full list of the 2024 first-allocation grant recipients here:
The decisions of the LF Grants Commission were presented to the Lithuanian Foundation Board of Directors, who confirmed the selections during their meeting on June 4, 2024.
The second LF Grants Commission allocation session is set for October 2024. The application period for 2024 will be from July 1 to September 1.
The Scholarship Sub-commission is set to deliberate scholarship applications in November. The scholarship application period for 2024 is from August 1 to October 1.
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