Community Foundation awards more than $183K in Fund for Reno County grants

07 May Community Foundation awards more than $183K in Fund for Reno County grants

Hutchinson Community Foundation awarded Fund for Reno County grants totaling $183,947 to 28 nonprofit organizations in its first impact cycle this spring.

Established in 1990, the Fund for Reno County Endowment serves as a permanent resource for the changing needs of Reno County. Grants represent an innovative approach or collaboration, a new efficiency, a critical need that requires funding or an opportunity that needs a bit of local support to leverage resources for the community.

Funding for Impact Cycle 1 grants was supplemented by contributions from the following donor advisors through the foundation’s Giving Together program: Sarah and Chuck Blake, Shirley Brandyberry, and Dee and Dave Dillon.

Proposals for the grants are accepted during two annual impact cycles, one in February and one in August. Impact Cycle 1 grants were aimed at projects in the following categories: Community Catalyst, Dynamic Culture, Thriving Kids and Strong Organizations.

The following organizations received grants:

Community Catalyst: $13,759
Projects that improve community engagement, communication, confidence and pride.

• • • City of Haven, $2,100: Through its own Love Where You Live initiative, the City of Haven will host interactive events, such as a speed connecting gathering and a guided bike tour, so participants may share ideas and feedback on improving local amenities and programs. These insights will drive future initiatives, ensuring Haven remains a safe, welcoming and vibrant place to live and work.
    • City of Haven, $2,500: The proposal is for a digital sign to communicate to Haven citizens the programs and activities happening within the city from various municipal entities.
    • Hutchinson NAACP Youth, $1,700: This project aims to enhance the Hutchinson NAACP Youth’s ability to actively participate in community outreach, which would foster greater community involvement and strengthen the organization’s mission of advocating for equality and positive change. Funding will supplement the costs of educational materials and marketing/engagement tools for outreach efforts, as well as supplies necessary for engagement activities.
    • Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, $2,500: This project entails purchasing signage as a demonstration project to promote and improve vacant spaces in Downtown Hutchinson. During the implementation stage of the Downtown Master Plan, the signage will visually improve windows in vacant buildings by covering the interior storage and dressing up the Downtown neighborhood in a demonstration block area.
    • Hutchinson Wesleyan Church, $2,500: Funds will provide necessary startup costs for a monthly free community dinner at the Hutchinson Public Library with the aim of building community and developing relationships across Creekside, Midtown, Grace Arbor and College Grove neighborhoods. The Big Table seeks to use its community dinner-based model to provide meals and foster a sense of belonging for those in need.
    • Sylvia Helping Hands, $2,459: In the spring of 2024, a few citizens started a community garden with five raised beds to benefit the Sylvia community. Produce was harvested and placed in the city office and library for residents. Funding will allow the Sylvia Helping Hands organization to increase the size of the community garden.

Dynamic Culture: $56,400
Projects that enhance and celebrate local arts, theater, history and tourism.

• • • Family Community Theatre, $7,600: Funding will help finish renovations of three restrooms in the Flag Theatre lobby.
    • Emancipation Committee, Hutchinson, KS, $11,500: Funding will help with the costs of inviting an in-state and an out-of-state marching band to participate in the annual Emancipation Parade in August, increasing excitement, pride, attendance and, ultimately, a better understanding of what Emancipation weekend represents.
    • Hutch in Harmony, $20,000 per year for two years: Funding will help launch the Hutch Pass: Hutchinson Cultural Passport Program, an interactive and educational experience encouraging residents to explore cultural, historical and artistic sites across the county. Participants will receive a physical or digital “passport” through a booklet and will be able to download an app that provides incentives for engaging with local cultural landmarks, businesses and events.
    • Hutch Rec, $9,700: This project will bring the Hutchinson Municipal Band to performances in Hutch Rec’s Healthy Neighborhood Initiative neighborhoods, as well as the Smallville Festival. The project aims to transform public spaces into lively cultural hubs and foster a deeper sense of community while also increasing the band’s audience and, potentially, supporters.
    • Stage 9, $7,600: Funding will help with the repair of the Stage 9 theater building façade.

Strong Organizations: $50,700
Projects that strengthen the capacity, sustainability and resilience of Reno County community-based organizations.

• • • City of Turon, $7,500: Funding will assist in the repair and maintenance of the entrance and some windows of the 116-year-old Turon Community Building, which serves a variety of functions within the community, including for Friendship Meals, City Council meetings, birthday parties, family gatherings and as a polling place.
    • The Food Bank of Reno County Inc., $7,500: To accomplish the Food Bank’s goal of reducing food insecurity and improving services for children and families, it is in the process of developing a long-term plan, and part of that plan will require a more spacious and reconfigured facility. Funding will cover part of the project management costs of the project.
    • Hutch Rec, $1,500: This grant proposal aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of the community’s music culture by exploring a strategic partnership with the Hutchinson Municipal Band, Reno County Choral Society and the possible restart of the Hutchinson Symphony. Funding will provide a stipend to people who serve on the exploration task force.
    • Hutchinson School of Tae Kwon Do, $7,500: This project will allow for the purchase and installation of new training equipment and upgraded lighting to enhance the safety, accessibility and overall learning experience for underprivileged families, thereby fostering personal growth and strengthening the community.
    • Hutchinson Wesleyan Church, $2,500: This hands-on project, which includes coaching and training, will help participants develop the relational and organizational skills needed to serve The Big Table community dinner events and start their own throughout Hutchinson and Reno County.
    • Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation, $7,500: Funds will go toward a two-day retreat for the Kansas State Fair board and key staff members to develop a strategic plan.
    • New Beginnings, $5,000: Funding will allow for replacement of six obsolete lab computers at New Beginnings, which are used by low-income individuals and families for education, communication and applying for jobs.
    • Rise Up Reno Prevention Network, $4,200: Rise Up Reno staff will work with a trained facilitator of strategic review and planning processes to evaluate current programs and attitudes toward the work they do, and in turn, prepare for the most important priorities they will face moving forward.
    • Salvation Army, $7,500: The Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope initiative is an evidence-based program that strives to break the cycle of poverty by guiding low-income parents with children beyond crisis to stability. Funding will support the salary and benefits of the program’s case manager.

Thriving Kids: $63,088
Projects that support high-quality early care and education, youth development and families. Support for these projects also comes from the Helen Adams Hamilton Children and Education Fund of Hutchinson Community Foundation.

• • • City of Arlington, $20,000: Currently, the gymnasium in Arlington’s community building has no heat. As a result, the open gym for youth, as well as the community and family gatherings that previously filled the gym, has halted. This project will restore heat to the gymnasium in the community center through installation of two 60-foot radiant tube heaters and a center-circulating fan.
    • ESSDACK, $4,500: Many Reno County students living outside of Hutchinson are unable to attend school daily at the Reno County Learning Center inside of the Hutchinson Mall because of lack of funds to purchase gas. Some students travel 80 miles a day round trip. Funding will help provide gas cards for those students so they can attend school.
    • Girls on the Run, $5,400: In this program, trained, caring and qualified coaches deliver a life-skills curriculum during out-of-school times by guiding small teams of girls through twice-weekly lessons that promote social-emotional learning alongside physical activity.
    • Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters Serving Reno County, $5,500: Funding will assist in providing large-scale match activities between Bigs and Littles.
    • Kansas Children’s Service League, $5,275: Funds will provide transportation assistance to those enrolled in the Healthy Families program, helping relieve a frequent stressor for families working toward resilience.
    • Reno County Education Cooperative, $2,300: This proposal will fund training 20 special education teachers in the PAX Good Behavior Game during a summer session.
    • USD 312-Haven, $7,613: This project aims to initiate the rebuilding of the school library collection with current nonfiction books and quality fiction books starting with reading levels for students in kindergarten through third grade.
    • Wisdom in Motion, $12,500 per year for two years: This organization serves at-risk and high-potential youth, fostering a sense of connection, empowerment and community engagement through structured mentorship, experiential learning and family-focused initiatives necessary for long-term success. Funds will help cover the costs of experiential learning initiatives, workshops and community engagement to help increase the impact on youth while also creating awareness of and engagement with the organization and programming.

Hutchinson Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire philanthropy, leadership and collaboration to strengthen Reno County. Since 1989, the foundation has granted more than $104 million to organizations.