The CDPP grants helped fund 27 projects that range from buying new equipment for first responders to improving museums and libraries to helping community centers build handicapped-accessible restrooms.

Other grants will help provide an upgraded, safer entrance drive into the fire station for Kinney County Fire Rescue; new life-saving equipment for the Matagorda Volunteer Fire Department; a new circulation desk for the Rylander Memorial Library in San Saba; and a new tourism office and public restroom for Fayette County in downtown La Grange.

“These grants support projects that make a difference in communities throughout our service area,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said. “The recipients tell us time and again many of these projects wouldn’t be possible without the grants, but that’s particularly true this year, when so many nonprofits had to cancel or cut back on fundraising efforts because of the pandemic.”

Wilson noted that many of the grant recipients are volunteer firefighters and public safety organizations.

“We are so proud to help provide new gear and equipment for the first responders who dedicate their lives to helping keep all of us safe,” Wilson said.

To date, LCRA and its wholesale electric customers have awarded 1,795 community grants totaling more than $46.5 million. When combined with nearly $227 million in community-raised matching funds, the program has invested more than $273 million in local communities.

Applications for the next round of Community Development Partnership Program grants will be available at lcra.org/cdpp on Jan. 1 and are due by midnight on Jan. 31.

The 27 grants awarded in the most recent grant cycle are:

• BANDERA: A $25,000 grant from LCRA and Bandera Electric Cooperative to the Bandera Natural History Museum for completion of a New Spain art wing to showcase works by Spanish colonial artists.
• BANDERA: A $6,596 grant from LCRA and Bandera Electric Cooperative to the Frontier Times Museum for energy-efficient windows to cut the museum’s operating costs and help protect important artifacts.
• BELLVILLE: A $20,000 grant from LCRA and the City of Bellville for electrical upgrades and new storm windows at the Austin County Jail Museum, which provides information about the historic former jail that opened in 1896.
• BRENHAM: A $22,150 grant from LCRA and the City of Brenham to Washington County for energy-efficient LED lighting in buildings on the county fairgrounds.
• BRENHAM: A $1,528 grant from LCRA and the City of Brenham for rolling window shades and carpet tiles to better regulate temperatures inside the Bus Depot Gallery.
• BROWNWOOD: An $18,466 grant from LCRA to the Brown County Museum of History for new LED lighting in its main building.
• FAYETTEVILLE: A $25,000 grant from LCRA and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative for electrical and plumbing upgrades at the Fayetteville Area Heritage Museum.
• HALLETTSVILLE: A $25,000 grant from LCRA and the City of Hallettsville for updated restrooms in a Knights of Columbus community hall.
• KINNEY COUNTY: A $40,000 grant from LCRA to help Kinney County Fire Rescue improve the entrance into the fire station vehicle bays so firetrucks can more safely depart from the station during emergency calls.
• LA GRANGE: A $50,000 grant from LCRA and the City of La Grange to Fayette County for a tourism office and public restrooms in downtown La Grange.
• LAKEHILLS: A $3,683 grant from LCRA and Bandera Electric Cooperative for new mobile bookshelves for the Lakehills Area Library, freeing up space for events in the library’s much-used community room.
• LAMPASAS: A $4,785 grant from LCRA and the City of Lampasas for an automated external defibrillator for the Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office.
• LEAKEY: A $21,000 grant from LCRA and Bandera Electric Cooperative to Keep it Real Beautiful (KIRB) for recycling equipment and expanded outreach efforts.
• LEXINGTON: A $49,565 grant from LCRA and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative to the Blue Volunteer Fire Department for a new fire station and renovations to the existing one to create a space for training sessions and community meetings.
• LEXINGTON: A $20,000 grant from LCRA and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative for a new rescue truck for the Tanglewood Volunteer Fire Department.
• LLANO: An $8,957 grant from LCRA and the City of Llano to the Llano Volunteer Fire Department for specialized equipment to better clean and dry firefighting gear.
• LOCKHART: A $5,000 grant from LCRA and the City of Lockhart to Caldwell County VFW Post No. 8927 for a concrete walkway and covered seating area at the post.
• LOMETA: A $24,548 grant from LCRA and Hamilton County Electric Cooperative to the Lometa Independent School District for new playground equipment.
• MARBLE FALLS: A $4,550 grant from LCRA and Pedernales Electric Cooperative to the Falls on the Colorado Museum to rebuild a historic Great Depression-era rock wall adjacent to the museum building.
• MASON: A $25,000 grant from LCRA and the City of Mason for repairs and a new roof and gutters on the historic Seaquist House, a 19^th-century Hill Country landmark that is undergoing a restoration.
• MASON COUNTY: A $7,648 grant from LCRA to the Pontotoc Volunteer Fire Department for a larger-capacity water station so firefighters can refill their trucks and respond to calls more quickly.
• MATAGORDA: A $25,000 grant from LCRA to the Matagorda Volunteer Fire Department for a state-of-the art cardiac monitor and automated external defibrillator.
• SAN SABA: A $5,000 grant from LCRA and the City of San Saba for a new, handicapped-accessible circulation desk at the Rylander Memorial Library, where the current circulation desk has been in use for nearly 50 years.
• SAN SABA: A $14,396 grant from LCRA and the City of San Saba to the San Saba County Chamber of Commerce for a new digital marquee that will be placed outside the county courthouse.
• SCHULENBURG: A $25,000 grant from LCRA to the City of Schulenburg for additional restrooms and a second concession stand at the city’s youth sports complex.
• SHINER: A $25,000 grant from LCRA to the City of Shiner for an enclosed and gated playground for preschoolers at the city’s Welhausen Park.
• WASHINGTON COUNTY: A $25,000 grant from LCRA and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative for a portable electrical generator for the Chappell Hill Volunteer Fire Department.

LCRA awards CDPP grants for projects related to community planning, education, employment, health care, public safety, recreation and volunteer fire departments. Eligible organizations include volunteer fire departments, emergency responders, local governments, schools, libraries, civic groups, museums and other nonprofit organizations. For-profit entities, individuals, professional associations and nonprofits with limited group memberships are not eligible for CDPP grants.