Austin County Emergency Services District No. 2 Receives $10,000 Grant

The Austin County Emergency Services District No. 2 received a $10,000 grant from the BNSF Railway Foundation. The contribution is earmarked to go towards the Critical Radio Infrastructure Program to purchase radios that are needed.  

Grant applicants seeking funds from the foundation must meet the following criteria:

• the organization is a public charity and has obtained IRS status under Section 501(c)3
• the organization is a division of local government
• the organization is a federally recognized tribal government
• the organization is a school or university

Additional criteria for consideration of the foundation according to their website is:

• • Organization or project has significant BNSF employee participation
  • Your organization or the services provided are in close proximity to a BNSF main line; or if BNSF is the only railroad or major corporation in your area of the state
  • Your request is related to the railroad industry
  • Your request is for direct programming or project support
• If your organization is volunteer-driven, there must be significant BNSF employee involvement in order for the BNSF Railway Foundation to consider funding your project.
• In addition, strong preference will be given to requests that fall under one of the following areas of interest:
  • Environmental, sustainability or conservation projects
  • Health & human services
  • Cultural and historic preservation
• Finally, priority will be given to organizations having an established relationship with the BNSF Railway Foundation.

The goal of the BNSF Railway Foundation, according to their website: “The mission of the BNSF Railway Foundation is to support and help improve quality of life for thousands of communities across the 28 states where BNSF operates, primarily across the Midwest, Southwest and Northwest regions of the U.S. As one of the largest freight railroads in North America, BNSF Railway is focused on making a difference in the communities where our employees live, work and volunteer. The BNSF Railway Foundation is our company’s main vehicle for charitable giving.”