Hannibal—The George H. Riedel Foundation recognized its 2025 grant award recipients at a recent reception in their honor. In total, $316,850 was awarded to 33 nonprofit organizations serving Hannibal residents.
The majority of the grant funding through the Riedel Foundation benefits children; however, with affordability challenges being a major factor in 2025, roughly one-third of the available funding went to meet basic needs like food, shelter, clothing, and medical care.
“When we reached the end of 2025, we looked at the remaining money we had available to award, and we agreed that food had to be our priority,” said Riedel Foundation Lead Trustee Michael Bukstein. Food banks at the Salvation Army, Douglass Community Services, and Harvest Outreach shared $27,000 in end-of-year bonus awards, in addition to the $46,000 they received earlier in the year.
The YMCA of Hannibal remained the single largest recipient of Riedel funding, receiving $108,000 in 2025 to provide membership scholarships and support the Third Grade Swim Program. In recognition of more than $2.5 million in Riedel Foundation support over 25 years, the YMCA named its gym floors in the Foundation’s honor.
For the first time, Special Olympics Missouri applied for a Riedel Foundation grant. The $4,000 award fully funded the local 2025 Special Olympics track and field event, ensuring students of all abilities had access to inclusive sports opportunities. Eighty percent of participating student athletes were from the Hannibal School District.
Special Olympics Regional Development Director Alex Jones attended the reception and introduced two athletes and two coaches.
“When you see the joy on our athletes’ faces, you understand exactly how much your donation means to Special Olympics,” Jones said.
Four additional agencies received Riedel funding for the first time:
- Northeast Independent Living Services received $6,500 to purchase medical equipment for loan to Hannibal residents in need.
- WGCA Radio used its $2,000 award to host a free Christian concert.
- Missouri Storytellers received $2,000 to fully fund a free storytelling event in Hannibal.
- The Good Neighbor Project, an outreach of Holy Family Church, received $5,000 to address unmet community needs.
In 2025, the Riedel Foundation partnered with the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri and the United Way of the Mark Twain Area. Each organization contributed $5,000 toward a matching fund for United Way’s Giving Week, which ultimately raised nearly $37,000 for local nonprofits.
“This is the first time our three organizations have collaborated,” said Riedel Foundation Administrator Sarah Deien. “It really demonstrates the power of matching grants. The fundraiser was intended to stretch out for a week, but in a matter of hours, donors exceeded the match.”
The Riedel Foundation was established in 2000 following the death of George H. Riedel, who left $5.4 million in a trust at F&M Bank with the stipulation that funds be used exclusively to support nonprofit agencies serving Hannibal residents. Since its founding, the Foundation has awarded approximately $7.8 million in grants, and more than $6.5 million remains in the trust.
The Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of five Trustees. Michael Bukstein, Bill Craigmiles, and Paul Richards have served since its inception. April Baldwin and Michael Gaines also serve as Trustees. The board recently voted to allow the trust to accept donations, which will be added to existing funds and distributed under the same terms.
The following is a list of agencies funded in 2025:
Faith Bridge: $10,000 Foster children support
Special Olympics: $4,000 2025 Special Olympics
YMCA: $100,000 Program support and scholarships
Y Third Grade Swim: $8,000 Swim safety lessons
Harvest Outreach: $30,000 Sober living houses, Loaves and Fishes, food pantry
NEILS: $6,500 Medical equipment
Blessing Health Services: $6,000 2025 Ride Cool bike safety event
HLGU: $12,500 Technology upgrades
Project Graduation: $1,000 2025 grad party
Shoes from the Heart: $2,100 Establishing shoe closet at Hannibal schools
Riedel Scholarships: $5,000 Two $2,500 scholarships to graduating seniors
Bluff City Theater: $6,000 Youth Theater Initiative
Douglass Community Services: $1,000 Farmers Market SNAP training
The Food Bank: $10,000 Stock local food pantries
WGCA Radio: $2,000 Hannibal community concert
Missouri Storytellers: $2,000 Hannibal storytelling concert
Coyote Hill: $4,300 Foster family events
Hannibal Area CEO Program: $7,000 2025-26 program support
United Way Giving Week: $5,000 Matching challenge for Giving Week
United Way/AVENUES: $5,000 Transitional support for AVENUES
CHART Teen Task Force: $7,500 2025 Teen Health Fair and sexuality education
CHADS Coalition: $2,000 Suicide prevention program at Hannibal schools
Kiwanis Club: $5,000 Coats and shoes for Christmas
Hannibal Arts Council: $7,000 Youth programs
Hannibal Concert Association: $5,000 Season performance support
Mark Twain Home Foundation: $5,000 Technology upgrades
Child Advocacy Center: $3,200 Child abuse prevention education
Salvation Army: $15,000 Food pantry and Christmas boxes
Riverside Cemetery: $5,000 Road improvements and veteran’s memorial
Good Neighbor Project: $5,000 Unmet community needs
Marion Co. Master Naturalists: $1,750 2026 Eagle Day
Project Graduation 2026: $1,000 Project Grad Party ‘26
End of year bonus awards:
Harvest Outreach: $9,000 Food pantry
Salvation Army: $9,000 Food pantry
Douglass Community Services: $9,000 Food pantry
Total grants awarded in 2025: $316,850