The payoff for thousands of hours of volunteer service came Monday when the Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival Association distributed more than $26,000 in community grants.

It was a record year for the festival association, bringing in $107,000 in gross revenue, $10,000 more than the previous year.

It took 253 volunteers and thousands of hours to help give this back to the community, said Mike Dessert, association president.

In total, the association will give back $41,300 to the community. This amount includes funds collected for the Coupeville Boys and Girls Club, which managed parking at the festival and funds generated by the wine and beer garden, which was managed by the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce.

The total also includes four $1,500 student scholarships, which will be given out in May.

The deadline to apply for a scholarship is in April.

More than a dozen grants were given out Monday to a variety of special interest and nonprofit groups in Central Whidbey.

Rick Castellano from the Island County Historical Museum accepted a grant which will help the museum continue with its project to digitize its archives.

Castellano estimates there are about 18,000 items to digitize.

“Someday those will be online and this will get us closer,” Castellano said. “I thank you so much.”

Lee Roof accepted a grant to support his giant pumpkin contest, which is held every October during Harvest Fest, and Lisa Root accepted a grant to help pay for signage for the Whidbey Island Kite Festival.

The Pacific Rim Institute accepted a grant to help cover the cost of cleaning up the property off Parker Road.

Vickie Chambers from the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association accepted two grants — one to help pay for hanging baskets on Front Street and the other to help with a new program to raise funds for the Coupeville Wharf.

Lisa Bernhardt from the Pacific Northwest Art School accepted a grant to help purchase equipment like a portable demonstration mirror and fabric steamer for its fiber arts program.

The Festival Association helped start the art school with the original seed money, and it continues to support the school with other grants.

“I feel like the festival is the parent to the art school,” Bernhardt said. “We are deeply grateful for everything you do in the community.”

John Luvera, who heads the juvenile detention education program through Coupeville schools, accepted a second grant for arts programing.

The first grant, he said, paid for canvas, art supplies and wood for easels.

Students created acrylic paintings of scenes of Whidbey Island. They now hang in county offices.

“It’s a time they get to relax and enjoy,” Luvera said.

This second grant will go to replenish supplies.

Other grants went to support the chamber’s Memorial Day Parade, Coupeville Boys and Girls Club art programs, WSU Beachwatchers’ educational displays at the wharf, children and teen programs at the library, Penn Cove Water Festival youth activities, for signage at the Haller House, the History Day program at Coupeville High School and the Young Author’s Program at the elementary school.