Oak Ridge Fund for Achieving Community Excellence Awards $40,000 in Grants, Promoting Arts, Culture and History

[Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Sept. 5, 2025] – The Oak Ridge Fund for Achieving Community Excellence (ORFACE), an affiliate fund of the East Tennessee Foundation (ETF), announced its distribution of $40,000 in grants to five organizations serving the citizens of Oak Ridge.

The five grants awarded support a range of projects enhancing the quality of life in Oak Ridge.

The 2025 grant recipients are:

• Oak Ridge Civic Music Association – Three new music-oriented initiatives
• Weaver Consulting – Scarboro 85 outreach to elementary and middle school students
• Oak Ridge Arts Center – Arts Trail connector to the Arts Center
• Oak Ridge Community Band – Spring Concert with family engagement
• Friends of Grove Theatre – Three-panel mural highlighting the theater’s history

“The Oak Ridge Fund for Achieving Community Excellence has its finger on the pulse of the arts, community and culture of the Oak Ridge area and is helping the East Tennessee Foundation ensure the grants are promoting these areas in meaningful ways,” said Keith Barber, President & CEO of the East Tennessee Foundation. “ETF appreciates ORFACE’s local leadership and ongoing commitment to fostering impactful change in this community. We are thrilled to collectively advance and celebrate the important work of these local nonprofits.”

“With an emphasis on promising community arts, culture and history, we believe these grants will promote projects which will result in ongoing legacies of excellence for the community and result in continuing events or installations,” said Megan Houchin, ORFACE Chair. “We are proud to partner with the East Tennessee Foundation to help donors maximize their positive impact and support local organizations making Oak Ridge a better place to live, work, and visit.”

For more information about how to be involved with ORFACE, please contact Megan Houchin, ORFACE Chair, or visit their website at https://easttennesseefoundation.org/donors/explore-our-funds/affiliate-funds/anderson-county/oak-ridge-fund-for-achieving-community-excellence/

To learn more about ways to donate to ORFACE, please contact Scott Gillenwaters, Director of Regional Advancement at re*****************@*tf.org or by phone at (865) 524-1223, ext. 114.

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About Oak Ridge Fund for Achieving Community Excellence

ORFACE was established as an affiliate fund of the East Tennessee Foundation in January 2018 by a group of local donors to make a lasting commitment to the people of Oak Ridge by developing a resource to achieve community goals and promote Oak Ridge. ORFACE is a permanent endowment with an advisory board that awards grants annually to strengthen the local community and improve lives for Oak Ridge residents.

 About the East Tennessee Foundation

The East Tennessee Foundation (ETF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity and nationally accredited community foundation focused on serving a 25-county region in East Tennessee. As a community foundation, ETF operates as a collection of hundreds of distinct charitable funds and supporting organizations established by individuals, families, businesses and other nonprofits. ETF builds endowments, creating a permanent source of philanthropic funding for the East Tennessee region. For more information, visit www.easttennesseefoundation.org.

Please direct media inquiries to: Lisa Ford, Vice President of Strategic Engagement & Communications at lf***@*tf.org or 865-524-1223, ext. 118.