COBANK SHARING SUCCESS GRANT

One of Wharton County Electric Cooperative's most unique and exciting community programs is the CoBank Sharing Success program, a matching grant opportunity open to local nonprofit organizations. Aimed at supporting local communities and people, the grant is made possible by our board of directors, in partnership with CoBank – a national nonprofit cooperative bank owned by the rural American cooperatives it services.

“CoBank and WCEC have partnered in the Sharing Success matching grant program every year since 2012,” WCEC GM/CEO Gary Raybon says. “This grant program is a testament to CoBank and WCEC’s commitment to the communities and people that WCEC serves.”

CoBank’s $4 million Sharing Success fund matches charitable contributions made by its cooperative members to local nonprofits in their individual communities. The matching grant program is designed to celebrate the vital role that cooperatives play in individual communities across the country. CoBank states that collaborating with their customers to support worthy causes they care about is a great way for them to make a positive difference and fulfill its mission of service to rural America. Since its inception in 2012, the program has generated more than $36 million in total charitable donations, primarily in rural areas across the country. In early 2019, CoBank announced the board of directors increased the size of the bank’s annual Sharing Success charitable giving program from $3 million to $4 million per year.

Last year, three local volunteer fire departments benefited from the matching grant. CoBank awarded $2,500 each to the Louise, Danevang, and Garwood volunteer fire departments. Wharton County EC matched the contributions bringing the total for each fire department to $5,000.