BETHEL — Randall H. Bennett, executive director of the Bethel Historical Society, announced recently that the second installment of a $30,000 grant has been received to support the society’s Development Office.

The office, established in 2008 with the support of the Betterment Fund and a $15,000 grant from the Davis Family Foundation, was part of the strategic planning process of the society. Since that time, a director of development, James Dock, has been added to the staff, and much progress made in the fundraising capabilities of the organization.

“The support from the Betterment Fund has been an important component in moving ahead in this direction,” Bennett said in making the announcement, “and its puts us on the road to advance the society forward in significant ways.”

“We are indeed grateful for this gift and are anxious to continue working with the trustees of the Betterment Fund over the next year to ensure the greatest possible success,” he said.

The Betterment Fund was created for charitable purposes by the will of the late William Bingham II, a resident of Bethel, who died in 1955. Bingham was a self-effacing philanthropist with an abiding interest in education and the improvement of health services in the State of Maine.

For more information on the Bethel Historical Society, call 824-2908, 1-800-824-2910 or e-mail [email protected].