The Lafayette Oxford Foundation for Tomorrow will host its fourth-annual Night for Nonprofits on Thursday. The event will take place at The Powerhouse from 6 to 8 p.m.

Each year, LOFT awards money to a select number of nonprofit organizations. This year, there is a total of $40,000 that will be distributed to 10 winners chosen by LOFT, including three crowd favorite awards selected by attendees of the event. Each person will be given a voting ticket when they arrive in order to vote for the nonprofit group they want to win either the first, second or third crowd favorite award.

There are 23 organizations that applied to be part of the event this year, including Boys & Girls Club, Communicare, Doors of Hope, Friends of Thacker Mountain Radio, Inc., Good Food for Oxford Schools, Gordon Center, Juneteenth, Lafayette County Arena, Lafayette County Fire Department, Lafayette County School District, Living Music Resource, Memory Makers Respite Day Services of Oxford, Inc., Mississippi Coats 4 Kidz, Mississippi Presenters’ Network, Oxford Community Market, Oxford Civic Chorus, Oxford Film Festival, Oxford Medical Ministries, Second Chance Mississippi and Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.

This year saw an increase of 15 more participants than last year’s event.

“I think what it’s telling us is that people are seeing LOFT as a valuable resource to help finance projects in the community,” Jody Holland, executive director for LOFT, said. “Also they’re seeing this event being a valuable resource to share their message to the community in one location with a big audience. It’s really helping us get our brand out and help us achieve our mission to enhance the quality of life in Oxford and Lafayette County.”

During the two-hour event, participating organizations can use the first hour to network and socialize with attendees, while exhibiting their projects they wrote grant applications in hopes of being funded by LOFT. During the second hour, the event’s program will commence with the winners of the allocated $40,000 being announced, as well as listening to keynote speaker Marie Cope, who is the director of the transactional law clinic at Ole Miss.

Tickets are still available for purchase by visiting http://oxfordarts.com/shop/event-tickets or at the door the night of the event. Cost is $10 per person and additional voting tickets will be available for purchase at an additional $10. There will also be a raffle during the event with tickets to enter available for $5.