COMMUNITY BETTERMENT COMMITTEE

The Community Betterment Committee (CBC) is the most important committee in the club. This is the committee that selects and recommends which projects to fund with the proceeds of our annual Carnival and Raffle. The requirements in choosing projects is two-fold: first, we fund capital, not operations; second, we endeavor to do the most good for the most people.

Our bylaws offer other suggestions, including:

  • Never give to organized fund drives;
  • Never give to profit-making organizations;
  • As much as possible, leverage our funds by working in connection with other organizations, such as the city, School District, and other service clubs;
  • Requests under $5,000 should be referred to the Board of Directors;
  • No single project should receive a donation of more than 2/3 of the net proceeds of the current year’s Carnival.
Not funding a project does NOT mean that the applicant, or the applicant’s project, are not good, honorable and worthy projects or organizations. It just means we as an organization cannot fund them.

The CBC is comprised of 16 members, serving staggered four-year terms. The members, and the Chairman, are appointed by the President. The club President, 1st Vice President, and Treasurer sit on the CBC as ex officio (non voting) members.

The process begins in October, when grant applications are accepted.


In November, the CBC meets twice to narrow the list of grant applicants to a handful of finalists, then to decide which projects actually receiving funding (and for how much). At the November meeting of the Board, the CBC recommendations are reviewed and approved.

On the first Tuesday of December, the club votes on the CBC /Board recommendations in a closed meeting. All information and decisions are confidential throughout the process, including decisions at the closed meeting.

In January, on the day before Ticket Handout, a press conference is held to announce the projects and grant recipients to the media. This is timed to give extra publicity to ticket sales.

On the third Saturday of February, we hold the Carnival and Raffle to raise the money for our projects.
In March, as club members reconcile their ticket sales and finish turning in their money, the Carnival funds become available for the grant recipients. Projects are always funded through a reimbursement process, rather than giving the funds in advance and then auditing to see that they were spent properly.

  • CBC Fund Request PDF
    CBC Fund Request | PDF
    Click the pdf icon to the left to download the Grand Junction Lionc Club CBC Fund Request Form