The Renton Community Foundation celebrated by donating more than $30,000 to Renton teachers and staff and local organizations at its 13th Annual Circle of Giving Awards Celebration Jan. 16.

The event is called “Hats Off to Giving.” The grants were handed out by interim school Superintendent Vera Risdon and campaign co-chair King Parker. The grants were made possible by personal donations of $1,000 or more from community and business leaders.

Grants of $100 to $1,000 went to 20 Renton teachers or groups of staff and totaled $8,500. The money will be used to purchase mathematics and reading materials, science laboratory equipment and other supplies.

The foundation members selected the 15 projects out of 104 teachers and staff, who made requests totaling $78,000 through the Circle of Giving grant application process.

“Circle of Giving is an unusual fundraising campaign,” said Larry Warren, foundation board president. “The donors who make gifts of $1,000 or more are the ones who decide how to split up the money.”

Three additional school projects were funded by the O.J. Harper Engineering Children’s Needs Fund, thanks to work by the fund adviser Pat Auten.

This year, Communities in Schools Renton, Kiwanis Clothes Bank, the Salvation Army, Renton Rotary Food Bank, Allied Arts of Renton and others received grants. These grants would be used for everything from supporting the 50th anniversary for Allied Arts of Renton with their Fall Family Concert, to providing recreational scholarships for the city’s Community Services Department, to supporting homeless families at the Way Back Inn and Vision House.

The Renton History Museum, Evergreen City Ballet and Birthday Dreams also received a total of $7,250 in grants from Rebecca Cherney from The Next Curve Fund.

The Renton Community Foundation is also launching a new initiative called the “Community Benefit Fund.” It is the result of a year-long effort to find the most dire needs of the community and make a difference.

“This will be the foundation’s first completely discretionary fund,” said Lynn Bohart, foundation executive director. “Anyone can donate to the fund and as the fund grows, the foundation board will use it to meet priority needs of the community.”

The first item for the fund will be the foundation’s transportation project for low-income families.