MATCHING GRANT INITIATIVE
The Hansen Foundation recognizes that residents are the most knowledgeable about the needs of their own communities. Providing the opportunity for a community to create or build a sustainable pool of dollars that would be available to meet ongoing and future needs enables community members to confidently plan for the future of their home towns. The matching grant initiative provides opportunities for Northwest Kansas residents to define and address community concerns which should in turn, keep residents invested in not only determining and addressing needs, but planning for growth.
With that in mind, the Hansen Foundation is offering an opportunity for community foundations in its service area to raise funds for a permanently endowed, unrestricted community grant fund. For every dollar raised, the Hansen Foundation will provide a 100% match, up to a maximum of $50,000 per county. Like the community donations, the matching dollars will be added to the participating community foundation’s endowed unrestricted grant fund.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Participation in the matching initiative is by invitation. The Hansen Foundation has extended an invitation to every county in its 26-county service area. Participation is optional. Counties without a community foundation can participate by working with another foundation (see information below).
The participating community foundation must submit an application to the Dane G. Hansen Foundation outlining the strategy for its matching “event.” Applications are available online through the Foundation’s website.
Each community foundation will select the time frame for the matching program. Any month on the calendar is available. Participating Foundations can host a one-day event, a month-long campaign, or something in between.
For the selected month, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation will provide a 100% match for every dollar raised for the participating community foundation’s endowed unrestricted community grant fund, up to a maximum of $50,000 per county.
The application will be available starting March 18 online on the Dane G. Hansen Foundation’s website, www.danehansenfoundation.org.
- Click on Hansen Grants.
- Then Community Foundation Matching Grant Initiative.
This is an invitation only application requiring a password to access.
Each county will select one month to host its event beginning in May of 2016 and ending in April of 2017. Participating Foundations can host a one-day event, a month-long campaign, or something in between.
A grant report will be due at the end of the month following the matching event. The matching grant will be disbursed following receipt of the report.
An important aspect of the initiative is the opportunity for community foundations to market their community grant programs to donors. It is not the intent of the initiative that contributions be received or limited to current donors or friends of the foundations. For that reason, donations will be matched up to a limit of $5,000 per donor.
Each participating community foundation will receive a $1,000 grant to be used to promote the matching program to donors and the community.
Participating community foundations will be responsible for communicating the opportunity to donors, collecting contributions and reporting back to the Dane G. Hansen Foundation.
A final report will be due by the last day of the month following the community foundation’s matching month. Once the report is received, the matching grant will be processed.
For counties that may have more than one community foundation, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation will work with the foundation where it has an established relationship for the pass-through community grant funds. Only one community foundation per county will be eligible to participate.
For counties that do not have a community foundation, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation will provide a matching grant following the same guidelines and process for one of the following:
Field of Interest Fund: The matching initiative can add to or establish a permanently endowed geographic field of interest fund through the community foundation they currently work with to distribute their Dane G. Hansen Foundation pass-through grants. The Field of Interest fund will be established as a permanently endowed fund that will provide unrestricted grants to communities within that county.
Forming a New Community Foundation: The matching initiative can be used as a tool to help establish a new community foundation. The new foundation must serve a county that currently does not have a community foundation. The new foundation can either be established as an affiliate of an existing foundation or provide a plan outlining administrative ability and growth potential to create an independent entity. Counties interested in establishing a new community foundation must first meet with the Dane G. Hansen Foundation’s Coordinator of Programs, Communications and New Initiatives.
For the purpose of this initiative, endowment is defined as a permanent fund designed to generate annual income for community grants. Foundations can choose to define endowment as annual income or as a targeted percentage for the annual distribution (such as 5% of the annual fund balance).
For the purpose of this initiative, community grant fund is defined as a permanently endowed fund that will award grants at least annually to meet community needs. Grants are determined by a board or committee made up of local citizens. Distributions are not intended for the foundation’s own administrative support.
No. Since 2014, the Hansen Foundation has established relationships and provided funding through local community foundations to re-grant in each of the 26 counties of Northwest Kansas. The Matching Grant Initiative does not replace or affect that program in any way.
If you still have questions, contact Betsy Wearing, Coordinator of Programs, Communications and New Initiatives for the Foundation at betsy@danehansenfoundation.org, or 785-452-8888.
