Submitted
Through the generosity of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Heartland Community Foundation will be awarding over $100,000.00 in each of the three counties served, Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties during the current grant cycle which ends May 15, 2016. Applications can be found at www.heartlandcommunityfoundation.org.
Heartland Community Foundation recently learned the gift from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation has doubled from previous years allowing Heartland the ability to greater influence community needs and award grants relating to the following areas for communities within the Foundation network:
• Arts
• Community Beautification
• Education
• Environmental Programs or Projects
• Health & Human Service Needs
• Inter-generational Programs or Projects
The competitive grant application period began March 15, 2016 and runs through May 15, 2016. “The generous grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation represents an opportunity for our communities to address a variety of projects. Emphasis will be on programs or projects that include community involvement and volunteerism,” said Heartland Community Foundation Board, Brandon Prough.
Sandy Jacobs, Executive Director of the Heartland Community Foundation commented, “Heartland Community Foundation works to encourage philanthropic giving by donors in each of the 3 counties we serve. We want to be sure all the needs of our communities that can be met by Foundation grants are and that the community is aware the timeline involved. We want to stress the final day of the current grant cycle is May 15 and it is our goal to award all funds. There is no commitment to open another grant cycle in 2016. The fact the Dane G. Hansen Foundation recognizes the work of community foundations and chooses to partner with those foundations speaks to their overall mission of improving the quality of life for citizens of northwest Kansas. We believe we are in a unique position to find and fund projects that will have the most impact in local areas.”
Along with the Dane G. Hansen Grant Fund, Heartland Community Foundation administers the Heartland Area Action Fund and the Heartland Healthy Living Fund. The Heartland Area Action Fund is an unrestricted community grant fund. The Fund was created by the generosity of individuals who have contributed money to the Foundation for charitable use to address the present and future needs of Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties. From this endowed fund, the Foundation Board annually determines and designates the amount of available funding in the form of community grants. The Heartland Healthy Living Fund was established in response to the Kansas Health Foundation’s second chapter of the Giving Resources to our World (GROW II) match grant challenge. Grants from this fund support the public health of Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties. Public health is defined as the protection and promotion of the health and well-being of individuals and their communities through encouragement of healthy lifestyles, behaviors and environments.
The Dane G. Hansen Foundation was established in 1965, with the primary goal of making the communities of northwest Kansas better places to live. The Foundation was established through a generous estate gift of Dane G. Hansen, an exceptional Kansas citizen who had a personal interest in promoting education and helping young people to succeed. In honor of Mr. Hansen’s memory, the Foundation awards grants and scholarships every year to qualified recipients who demonstrate a strong desire for community involvement. The Hansen Foundation serves 26 counties in northwest Kansas.
The Heartland Community Foundation was established in 2007 as an affiliate of the Great Salina Community Foundation. Heartland serves communities and their residents in Ellis, Rooks and Trego counties. For more information on our foundation, visit www.heartlandcommunityfoundation.org.