For Immediate Release
2023 Coles County Peace and Justice Fund Grant
(Mattoon, Illinois – August 18, 2023) Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation announces the Coles County Peace and Justice Fund is open for grant applications, on August 29, 2023.
The Coles County Peace and Justice Fund was established by Robert and Marilyn McLean with Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation. The fund awards grants to organizations in Coles County for programs and activities that encourage mutual trust and promote cross-cultural understanding on matters of social justice and human rights, religious tolerance, and environmental protection. Examples of funded projects and programs include but are not limited to speakers and expenses related to hosted public programs; organizational diversity training; facilitation of cross-cultural, organizational collaboration; and the purchase of content and materials (e.g., books and video) which highlight diversity and encourage greater public understanding.
Robert McClean is a retired pastor of the United Methodist Church. Unlike many pastors, Robert did not spend most of his time behind the pulpit, instead, he and his wife, Marilyn, worked behind the scenes to represent the United Methodist Church and its organizational values through the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City. “Our job was not to lobby on behalf of the church. Instead, we learned everything we could about current events and social issues and took that information to the churches. It was then the responsibility of the congregations to act on this knowledge,” explains Marilyn.
Their work with the United Nations continued until Robert’s retirement in 1996 and the couple relocated to Marilyn’s hometown of Mattoon, Illinois. Their pursuit of social justice has not wavered since Robert’s retirement. Rather, as active members of their community, Robert and Marilyn have identified a need for the promotion of social justice in Coles County.
“This is our way to support the community-based organizations and projects that are in alignment with our worldview,” explains Marilyn. Their worldview, as Marilyn further explains, is connected to the social principles of the United Methodist Church which provide guidance for the protection of the natural world, the fostering of a nurturing community, and the addressing of issues within the social, economic, political, and world communities.
This fund will continue into perpetuity thanks to a planned legacy gift to the Community Foundation and will be managed by a fund advisory committee consisting of community members from Coles County who are knowledgeable of the social, religious, economic, and environmental issues in their communities.
Grant applications will open on August 29, 2023, and are due by Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 11:59 pm.
Interested? Please contact our Grant Administrator, Kristen Bertrand at kristen@southeasternillinois.org or 217-342-5413 to receive assistance or begin the application by going to southeasternillinois.org/grants/.
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