Ben Overby
Staff Writer
[email protected]

The Murray State nonprofit leadership studies program presented the 2020 Giving Back Endowment Grant Award to the Murray Art Guild Community Art Center.

According to a press release sent by the University, the Murray Art Guild received the $3,000 grant for its success in youth development over a long period of time in the Murray community. The award was presented on Nov. 10 by nonprofit leadership studies students.

Debi Henry Danielson, executive director of the Murray Art Guild, said the grant money will directly support their youth development programming.

“Murray Art Guild is thrilled to receive the Giving Back Endowment Award,” Danielson said in the press release. “It has been a pleasure to work with Murray State students in the nonprofit leadership studies program throughout the grant process, and this year we are especially honored.”

According to the press release, Murray State students operated this grant-making process through the Student Engagement Initiative, which provides an opportunity to learn directly about giving, philanthropy and grant making. Students conducted a community needs assessment and decided youth development would be the focus of this year’s grant award.

The students collaborated with the local Community United Benevolent Society leadership and invited local organizations to apply for the grant. 

The criteria for this year’s grant included aspects like the scope and scale of the organization’s youth programming, as well as the experience and qualifications of their staff.

According to the press release, the Giving Back Endowment is devoted to furthering the appreciation and application of the principles of caring, altruism, generosity and public service. Danielson said most grants that the Murray Art Guild receives are directly related to the field of art, so receiving one for altruism was particularly meaningful.

The nonprofit leadership studies program is part of Murray State’s department of organizational communication and leadership. Visiting Distinguished Professor of Nonprofit Leadership Robert Long said the program’s assistance for non-profit organizations benefits both parties.

“It is a two-way street between supporting the development of nonprofit capacity while giving students real-world experiences in the core content of courses, something that is done in all [nonprofit leadership studies] courses,” Long said. 

Long said the funds for the annual grant have been increasing over time.

“The Giving Back Endowment was created out of about eight years of student philanthropy activities in NLS courses, starting in 2008,” Long said. “It is an annual award activity in the course and it was a grant of $3,000 this year. It will likely grow over time since the endowment corpus is now approaching $200,000.”

Since its creation by Patricia and Bob Long in 2008, the Giving Back program have distributed more than $100,000 to community-based organizations.

“The arts play a vital role in culture and community, and we are proud to be a part of the Murray and Murray State University community,” Danielson said in the press release. “We are grateful to the students and faculty that made this possible.”