The Denton Benefit League broke a record Monday morning when it gave away the largest amount of grant money in the organization’s 36 years.

When the league gave grant checks totaling $260,917, it spread the wealth among nonprofits with cultural, educational, historical and social service missions.

Bette Sherman, chairwoman of the league grant allocations committee, said the greatest need was from social service groups. Those groups provide food, shelter, medical care and financial help to the county’s poorest and most vulnerable residents.

“We track our grant each year, and no matter who asks for what, our grants are in proportion to the applicant categories,” Sherman said.

That means that when the bulk of applications are asking for help in educational missions, most of the grant money is given for such missions.

The recipient of the biggest grant this year was the Greater Denton Arts Council. The local arts clearinghouse will bolster security at the Center for the Visual Arts — which is where grant recipients gathered — and will outfit the Campus Theatre with body microphones for 24 performers.

Margaret Chalfant said the council was thrilled to get almost $23,000.

The smaller portion of the grant — $5,248 — will buy a keyless entry system for the arts center, Chalfant said.

“It’s going to be like a credit card system,” Chalfant said. “This key will be checked out to various organizations — for instance, like Music Theatre of Denton and Denton Community Theatre, who use the hall for rehearsals — so that they can come in and slide it in and slide it out and walk in the building.”

The keyless systems will help the arts center staff keep a record of when the building is being used and by whom.

“When you swipe it, it tells us the time, whose card it is, and the check-in and checkout time,” Chalfant said. “The security will be phenomenal for our users.”

Chalfant said keys can be hard to track, but a lost or stolen card can be locked out with ease. While the council keeps the Meadows and Gough galleries locked after 5 p.m. and has cameras mounted in each gallery and over the main entrance of the arts center, the keyless system will make the building safer for people using it.

The council also got $17,670 for microphones for 24 performers, cords and secure storage. The microphones will belong to the Campus Theatre.

“We’re thrilled about these body mics,” Chalfant said. “There won’t be a dead spot in that whole theater.”

Dr. Norm Pomerance, a Denton dentist and chairman of the Denton Kiwanis Club children’s clinic committee, said the agency received $10,000 for direct medical services to children.

Because doctors and dentists who provide care as part of the Kiwanis Club’s network knock 50 percent off their fees, Pomerance said the grant is “really more like $20,000.”

“There’s no overhead,” he said. “Our big fundraisers cover those costs — the Taste of North Texas, the annual [Fourth of July] fireworks show and our booth at the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo. One hundred percent of the grant that we get goes to the children. Well, twice that much with the fees being reduced.”

Children are screened by the club for medical or dental needs and then are referred to a participating provider. The program is a virtual clinic.

The club covers medical and dental care for roughly 550 children each year.

“Give or take, depending on the financial climate,” Pomer­ance said.

He said the Denton Benefit League is one of three agencies that give the clinic grants. The others are the Flow Foundation in Denton and the Texas Motor Speedway Children’s Charities.

Pomerance said families can call for a Kiwanis Clinic screening at 940-387-6323, and ask for Robin.

Sherman said the benefit league collected grants last September, just before the economy went into freefall.

“We didn’t feel it last year,” she said. “But we’re already hearing from recipients that the need for their services has gone up, and that they’ll be seeking more funds.”

Sherman said the league will continue with its energetic fundraising schedule and meet those needs as well as it can. The league has raised more than $3.3 million since 1976, and Sherman said the volunteers won’t shrink from a challenge.

LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached at 940-566-6877. Her e-mail address is cbreeding@dentonrc.com .

The following is a list of agencies, the amount in grants provided by the Denton Benefit League, and the agencies’ needs:

AIDS Services of North Texas — $4,400, new freezer for Denton food pantry

American Red Cross — Dallas Area Chapter/Denton Branch — $10,479, pendant panic button, telephone system and three computers

Boys & Girls Clubs of Denton County Inc. — $6,745, color copier

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Denton County Inc. — $999, mid-volume scanner

Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County — $10,882, 19 television/DVD combos and mounts

City of Denton Animal Shelter — $10,156, sealing and disease-proofing floors in dog and cat rooms

CumberlandPresbyterian Children’s Home — $3,429, two ceiling-mounted projectors for community training

Denton Airfair Inc. — $2,185, temporary/reusable fencing

DentonChristian Preschool — $4,189, two commercial-grade dishwashers and a portable freezer

Denton City County Day School— $16,806, furniture for four classrooms, three-in-one music player and four CD/tape players

Denton Community Food Center— $5,418, chest freezer, refrigerator, three computers and software, printer and a laptop computer

Denton Community Theatre — $2,977, portable sound system for Roadshow performances

Denton County Friends of the Family — $22,438, renovation of two shelter offices into bedrooms, handicapped-access conversion for one bathroom, and update of floor coverings on stairs and hallways

Denton Festival Foundation — $15,000, rental equipment for the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival, including four stages, sound, lighting and electrical power

DentonHumane Society — $4,500, spay/neuter rebate program and Prevent-a-Litter program

DentonKiwanis Club Children’s Clinic — $10,000, direct medical services to children

Greater Denton Arts Council — $22,918, keyless entry system for the Center for the Visual Arts, microphones, cords and storage for the Campus Theatre

Historical Park Foundation of Denton County Inc. — $3,991, air conditioner, heating and wooden blinds for the Welcome Center

Hope Inc. — $1,574, server and hardware setup

Interfaith Ministries of Denton Inc. — $10,800, school supplies for 900 children

Legal Aid of North West Texas — $5,378, office furniture for the Denton location

Metroport Meals on Wheels — $6,000, home-delivered meals in Argyle and Justin

Music Theatre of Denton — $2,610, digital piano with speakers, stands and carrying case

North Texas StateFair Association — $5,961, commercial color printer

Our Daily Bread — $3,730, replacement dining tables

Reata Rehabilitation — $3,659, two computers, software and tech support, and heavy-duty multi-purpose copier

Riding Unlimited — $4,100, replacement of one manure spreader

Seniors in Motion — $3,659, facility improvements, exercise equipment, including back-extension machine and multi-hip machine, and utility fan

SpiritHorse Therapeutic Riding Center— $9,592, two-horse trailer and commercial-grade copier and printer

Texas Coalition for Animal Protection/Denton Low Cost Vacination & Spay/Neuter Clinic — $9,389, partial funding of cargo van to serve the disabled, seniors and disadvantaged residents, as well as local pet shelters and rescue groups

Tejas Storytelling Association — $10,700, site facility rental deposit, sound equipment rental, portable backdrop system, laptop computer and printer, and donor/volunteer software

The Arc of Denton County — $2,230, digital multimedia package including laptop computer, projector and portable screen

The Festival Ballet of North Central Texas — $5,487, airfare for guest artists from Hungary, computer and laser printer, ball gown and hoop skirt costume replacement, fog machine and audition banner

The Salvation Army/Denton Corps — $5,446, commercial-grade dishwasher for homeless shelter

Texas Woman’s University Institutional Development — $2,430, technology center for children at the Clubhouse After School Program, including a computer, software, a printer, two cassette recorders and five sets of headphones

United Way of Denton County — $4,280, six laptop computers, two with large monitors, plus tech support and software for Volunteer Tax Assistance Program sites

University of North Texas Collegeof Music — $684, Center for Chamber Music Studies equipment, including recorder, copier and five portable music stands

Visual Arts Society of Texas — $5,698, Web site redesign and update, and support for the Bill Worrell exhibition, including transportation, lodging and web jury