Post Rock Community Foundation (PRCF) held a Match Month in February 2024. Gifts were made to the Post Rock Community Action Fund, an unrestricted grant fund which addresses present and future needs in the Post Rock area. There were over 120 donations received with gifts totaling $56,680. The Dane G. Hansen Foundation matched donations up to $50,000 by 200% which means a total community impact of $156,680 for the 2024 campaign! The Dane G. Hansen Foundation is committed to providing opportunities for the people of Northwest Kansas to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
“Our donors continue to amaze me with their support of the foundation, and together with the generous match from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation we again find ourselves able to contribute to numerous important projects in the PRCF footprint. Thank you to all of the donors for supporting the foundation’s important work and thank you to the dozens of nonprofits who keep doing great things in Post Rock Country,” John Baetz, Board Chairperson.
PRCF has helped fund projects throughout the county since its inception in 2012. The Mission of the foundation is to meet charitable community needs through leadership, grants and donor services. This mission is achieved by building permanent endowments that benefit local communities within the two school districts it serves – USD#298 and USD#299. This includes Sylvan Grove, Barnard, Beverly and Lincoln in Lincoln County, Lucas in Russell County and Hunter in Mitchell County. The Mission also includes inspiring and enabling donors to fulfill their charitable desires; Facilitating prudent management and care of funds; increasing the capacity of nonprofit organizations to fulfill their individual missions; advocating for issues which promote community philanthropy; and facilitating grants, awards and scholarships within their service area.
The concept and feasibility for the creation of a community foundation was studied more than once during Leadership Lincoln County groups, but without a handful of families in the Sylvan Grove area, it may have never happened. As an affiliate of the Greater Salina Community Foundation, donations are blended with the donations of several other foundations for strength in investment. The donations, however, are never lost, but are tracked and attributed to local funds. Gifts made to the community foundation establish funds that are grown by investing the assets for long-term growth. Specific uses for the gifts may be designated when the gift is made, but designation is not required.
You don’t have to look hard to see evidence of the impact the foundation has had within its service area!
In Sylvan Grove, the Historical Society received a grant for completion of the Union Pacific Railroad Depot project, which included the completion of landscaping for the historic depot.
USD 298 received grant funding from the foundation allowing the district to provide rubber flooring for the weight room to prevent damage to the current concrete floor.
The foundation was helpful for the Post Rock Extension
District’s “Dining with Diabetes” program, helping individuals learn different strategies to manage their diabetes.
The Lincoln Art Center received a grant that allowed the 50-year-old flooring to be replaced, and the PRCF funding helped the Hunter Economic Development Corp. purchase and install a new and improved community sign that highlights the community café and local hunting operations that can bring outside business into the town.
Many other non-profit organizations in the area have benefited from PRCF grants as well. Statistics from 2022 showed a total of $862,800 in grants and scholarships distributed since the foundation’s inception.
In order of the impact, Youth and Education received 28.5% of the total grant distribution since inception, while 21.9% of the funding went to Community Development, 20.5% to Health and Human Services, 19.1% to Arts and Culture, 6.8% to Parks and Recreation and 3.3% to Faith and Religion.
In many cases, these projects could not have been completed with the foundation’s help, which, in turn, means these accomplishments would not have happened without donor gifts.
Post Rock Community Foundation is now accepting spring grant applications. Online applications are due Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
