News Release

SALINA, Kan.— The Greater Salina Community Foundation recently awarded over $70,000 to 14 charitable projects and organizations through its competitive summer grant cycle.

This year's grant recipients include funding towards increasing child care capacity, improving access to food assistance, youth programs and helping give people second chances through various social service initiatives.

Tyler Lund, a board member of Journey Ventures, and grant recipient, said "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Receiving support from the Greater Salina Community Foundation means we are not alone on this journey. Together, we can impact more people."

This was the first cycle of a new grant format from the Community Foundation that revised its grant program into three different types of grant applications- operating, capacity, and community impact.

"The mission of the grants committee is to serve as a valued resource that meets community needs. When our committee meets to review applications, they want to make sure they are comparing apples to apples the best they can, and that they are being good stewards of donor dollars" said Jessica Martin, President and Executive Director. "By separating the applications by request type, they can compare all operating needs equally against each other versus trying to compare an operating grant to a more complex application that is trying to solve child care in our community. The two are not the same, yet they are both equally important to our community.”

The grant request amounts also vary by application type. Operating and capacity grants may only request up to $5,000 whereas a community impact grant application can request up to $10,000.

"The grants committee values collaboration, creative thinking and solutions that benefit our community," said Jessica Fuller, Director of Grants and Scholarships. "These values can be seen in some shape or form in all the grants awarded, especially in the community impact grants.”

Since 1999, the Greater Salina Community Foundation has granted more than $238.6M on behalf of its donors and fundholders in Saline County and its regional affiliates throughout North Central and Western Kansas. These grants come from permanent funds held at the community foundation to help impact today and transform tomorrow by meeting current and future needs.

This cycle’s grant recipients include the following:

Community Impact Grant­­s:

• First Covenant Church- $6,807.89 towards startup costs for a new childcare center for up to 39 children including security cameras and hands-on learning equipment.
• Little Samaritans Child Development Center, Inc.- $9,972 to help purchase their building, providing a permanent home for early childhood services and Pre-Kindergarten education in Ottawa County.
• Salina Art Center- $10,000 to purchase tools and equipment to expand its youth art programming including adding a second kiln for its new Youth Wheel Throwing Ceramics class.
• Salina Crossroads Marathon- $5,000 towards race shirts
• Salina Emergency Aid Food Bank- $10,000 to improve access to its garden and food program with an additional parking lot, sidewalks, and bike racks located east of the garden.
• Salina Shares- $3,000 to purchase teen Christmas gifts for families participating in the Charis Boutique program.

Capacity Building Grants:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salina- $995 to be used towards registration for staff continuing education at Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit (NIO).
• Blessed Hope Family, Inc.- $2,600 to purchase high-need items for their Trading Post
• Salina Emergency Aid Food Bank- $4,697 to purchase an AED and cover the cost of AED training and CPR classes.
• Theatre Salina- $5,000 towards a new portable dance floor.

Operating Grants:

• Ashby House- $5,000 to purchase plumbing supplies and fixtures for its 12 apartment units and laundry facility.
• Central Kansas Mental Health Center- $4,800 to purchase (2) Ryno brand beds for Martin Youth Center crisis house.
• Hutch in Harmony- $1,500 for Smoky Hill Equality Coalition startup costs.
• Journey Ventures, Inc.- $2,000 to purchase furnishings for the new Women's Home and winterize and weatherproof the Men's Home

This round of grants was made possible by five funds at the community foundation: the Dane G. Hansen Community Grant Fund, which supports projects and programs that improve the community’s quality of life; the Kansas Health Foundation Fund, which supports the public health of Saline County; the Fund for Greater Salina which supports funds used for a variety of charitable causes that positively impact the community; the Fund for Early Childhood Care, Education and Development, which furthers the care, education, development, health, safety and human service needs of children ages 0-6 to better prepare them for kindergarten; and the L.P. “Pat” Mullen Fund, which supports hands-on learning opportunities for youth in the areas of arts and humanities and science, technology and invention.

Applications for the Foundation’s next community grant cycle are due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. Detailed application and fund criteria is available at www.gscf.org/about-grants.