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The 2024 Grant Cycle application period is closed.

The 2025 Grant Cycle application period will open on January 2, 2025.

The Hillsboro Community Foundation (HCF), an affiliate of Central Kansas Community Foundation (CKCF), was established to promote and facilitate charitable giving in support of projects and programs that enhance the quality of life in Hillsboro and surrounding areas.  Each year, HCF accepts applications for grants designed to meet a need or enhance quality of life as part of the HCF Grant Cycle.

The 2024 Grant Cycle application period opens Tuesday, January 2, 2024 and continues through Wednesday, January 24, 2024. In total, the Hillsboro Community Foundation has approximately $19,000 available for the 2024 grant cycle.

• The Hillsboro Impact Fund has approximately $8,000 available for the purpose of supporting charitable project/programs that benefit those in the Hillsboro community.
• The Kansas Health Foundation Fund – Hillsboro has approximately $3,000 to underwrite solutions to local health issues and for the protection and promotion of the health and well-being of individuals and their communities through the encouragement of healthy lifestyles, behaviors, and environments.
• The Hillsboro Community Foundation Arts Fund has approximately $2,000 available to support local art initiatives that enrich the community.
• The Helen and Laurine Schafer Charitable Fund supports health care in and around the Hillsboro community and has approximately $6,000 available.

The amount requested and types of project/programs will determine the number of grants and amounts to be awarded.

Hillsboro Community Foundation will award grants of $2,500 or less, but will not exceed $5,000.  Since grant requests frequently exceed the amount of funding available, the organization will be asked to indicate the minimum amount required for the project/program to proceed in the grant application.

All submissions are subject to the process, procedures, and rules of both the Hillsboro Community Foundation and Central Kansas Community Foundation.  Upon review by the HCF Grant Selection Committee, additional information may be requested for clarification.

A Grant Award Ceremony will take place at a later date.

Criteria for Funding Proposals

Who can apply?

Qualified applicants must possess a 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Service code, be exempt under statute (i.e. educational institution, church, city, or county), or be formally linked to an organization with such designation.  Management of the organization should be in the hands of reliable, ethical, and experienced personnel.  If the organization was funded in the previous year they MUST submit a follow-up report.  Grants may not be awarded retroactively for project/programs.  Please ensure that the project/program will not occur until after grants are estimated to be made.  If the project/program has already happened or will happen prior to when grants will be made, it is not eligible.  The project/program must be completed by November 17, 2024, unless other considerations are shared prior to project/program completion.

Which project/programs will be given priority in funding?

• Need – Project/programs where there is an evident need and the organization is in a key position to meet that need.
• Feasibility – Project/programs that present a well-thought-out strategy for achieving goals with a cost-effective budget.
• Collaboration – Project/programs that utilize resources to optimize shared goals of multiple organizations.
• Effective Organizations – Project/programs that expand or improve the services of established organizations.
• Outcomes Measurement – Project/programs with reasonable and effective measurement or evaluation tools to demonstrate impact of outcomes.
• Innovation – Project/programs that represent new and promising approaches to unmet community needs.

If you have questions or need further information, please contact

HCF Director at director@hcfoundationks.org or 620-947-0170.
Melissa Schreiber, CKCF Program Officer-Grants, at melissa@centralkansascf.org, or 316-283-5474.