G. Martin Kenney Memorial Fund

The G. Martin Kenney Fund was established in 1995 to provide support for charitable organizations serving citizens in the City of Ligonier and St. Patrick Catholic Church in Ligonier.

Guidelines:
The fund encourages projects that:

– Promote cooperation among organizations without duplicating services
– Promote volunteer involvement
– Demonstrate practical approaches to current community issues
– Enhance or improve organization self-sufficiency and effectiveness
– Emphasize prevention

In addition, the Fund is inclined to give favorable consideration to projects that:

– Affect a broad segment of the population
– Are clearly replicable in their design
– Have reasonable prospects for future support
– Serve people whose needs are not being met by existing services and which encourage independence
– Move the community to a higher cultural awareness

Proposals made to the G. Martin Kenney Fund are not limited to these areas, and grant seekers are encouraged to respond to emerging community needs.

Deadlines:
March 2, July 2 and November 2.
Application must be submitted via our online process by deadline.

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“Who is G. Martin Kenney,” is a question that has piqued the curiosity of Ligonier residents for a
matter of decades. Today, we have found answers.
George Martin Kenney was born to Henry D. Kenney and Mary Leora Kenney (Gafney) in 1905.
George (Who went by Martin for most of his life). was the youngest of 3, his family included his
sister Gertrude and his brother John. His mother was a teacher at a local school and his father
was a successful farmer and businessman. None of the Kenney’s children were ever married or
had kids of their own.
The family moved to Mansfield Ohio around 1920. It was from there that Martin started
attending St. Peter’s Catholic School. He was very involved in the theater arts and Scouts
through his high school years. Later in life, he became an Assistant Scoutmaster for Mansfield
Ohio’s Troop 3.
Once he graduated school, he decided to attend college at St. Joseph’s College here in Indiana.
He stayed involved in the Scouts, theater, and joined the Literature Society while at St.
Joseph’s. Some of the shows he performed during his college years include “It Pays To
Advertise,” and “Peaceful Valley.”
After graduating, he worked for the Ohio Public Service Company and made frequent trips to
Chicago and Sandusky for business. He was also a Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus, a
prestigious catholic brotherhood.
We still don’t know much about his connection to Ligonier, but we know he was a very generous
philanthropist. There are newspaper articles about him finding a Woman’s pocketbook and
ensuring it made its way back to her. Martin was in a car crash with his father in his early
adulthood, and luckily they both walked away, but not uninjured. Martin Kenney eventually
stopped working because he became disabled, though it is unclear if that was a result of the car
accident.
Martin Kenney passed away in 1968 at the age of 63. At the time of his passing, he requested
to be brought back to Ligonier Indiana for his burial.