It’s Back to School time once again!  The start of the new school year brings with it numerous programs and activities to help students learn and develop.  Through its annual grant cycle, the Hillsboro Community Foundation has issued more than $38,000 worth of grants to USD 410 for a variety of educational and student well-being purposes.

Grants have included funds for vocal music equipment, independent learning and literacy support subscriptions, hearing test equipment, health education field trips, on-site athletic medical services, technology design software, gym projector and screen, and the Chess Guild, among other requests.

These grants are in addition to support for other USD 410 programs mentioned in previous editions including the After-School program, Children’s Dental program, and the Parents as Teachers program.

Marion County Core Community works with families and communities to resolve poverty and allow people to flourish and succeed.  The organization creates an environment that educates and equips members to establish economic stability and move up and out of poverty successfully.  It gives them a “hand up” and not a “hand out,” which leads to lasting change.

Since 2013, the Hillsboro Community Foundation has issued grants through the Impact and Kansas Health Foundation funds totaling $15,300 in support of the poverty program and related Youth Core Ministries program.  As one of many local organizations that support and partner with Marion County Core Community, HCF is grateful to be able to assist them in their efforts.

One way to beat the summer heat is to enjoy the refreshing waters at the Hillsboro Community Plaza splash pad.  The Larry Paine Memorial Splash Pad was completed in 2023 as the first phase of the community plaza project.  As Mayor Lou Thurston noted, this was a public/private collaboration between the City of Hillsboro and local donors, “which is how you get things done in small communities with limited resources.”

The Hillsboro Community Foundation opened the Splash Pad project fund in 2017 to provide donors with a tax-deductible way to support the construction of the pad.  Through donor contributions, HCF grants, and accumulated investment earnings, HCF was able to provide over $175,000 in funding for the project.

In 2017, the Hillsboro Community Foundation partnered with the City of Hillsboro and a committee of local residents in promoting and securing funding for the construction of two outdoor basketball courts in Memorial Park. 

More than $40,000 was raised by the public and funneled through the foundation for the project, including a grant from HCF in the 2018 annual grant cycle.  Local contractors and the City of Hillsboro then worked together to build the courts over the summer months.

The basketball courts are a great example of a group of citizens seeing a need and opportunity to make Hillsboro a more fun and enjoyable place to live.  Community projects such as this are just one way that HCF can help turn visions into reality.

The Hillsboro Senior Center serves the seniors in our community by providing meals, social interaction, and informative programs.  It is a place where seniors can come together for activities and friendship.  Nutritious meals are provided at an economical cost for those who are 60 or over, including meals that are delivered to seniors who are homebound. 

The Hillsboro Community Foundation supports the Senior Center in several ways.  Over the years, HCF has distributed nearly $29,000 to the Senior Center through Impact Fund grants for facility repairs and upgrades, equipment replacements, and operating expenses.

The Senior Center board also established an endowment fund with HCF in 2009 to prepare for future long-term needs, and a second fund a few years later to make available resources for short-term needs.

Families and Communities Together (FACT) is a non-profit organization that facilitates collaborative action to improve lives in Marion County.  FACT, in partnership with churches, agencies, and schools, provides early childhood programs, substance abuse prevention programs, anti-poverty programs, and support through the Family Financial Assistance Fund.

The Hillsboro Community Foundation has issued over $42,000 in grants to FACT to provide assistance to families that reside in the USD 410 school district.  These grants have mostly been directed to early childhood programs and the Family Financial Assistance Fund.

FACT also maintains the FACT Marion County Fund that is held by HCF to provide another method for donors to contribute to these programs that enrich our communities.

The Hillsboro Elementary School provides a variety of after-school programs to first- through sixth-grade students.   Help in funding activities offered through the Hillsboro Recreation Commission and other community offerings is also provided, including registration fees and passes to the Hillsboro city pool.

The program depends on community support from service clubs, church groups, individuals, and the Hillsboro Community Foundation to provide financial assistance for students that need help to join in the activities.

Since 2008, HCF has contributed $16,700 to the After-School Program through its annual grant cycle.  The Hillsboro Kiwanis Club has also supported the program with grants from their Hillsboro Kiwanis Opportunity Fund that the club maintains at the foundation.

In late 2014, the Hillsboro Community Foundation made a grant of $25,750 to the Hillsboro Elementary School (HES) playground renovation project through two of its endowment funds: the Marga Ebel Health Fund and the Kansas Health Foundation Fund.

What started as a project estimated to cost a few thousand dollars to spruce up the two playgrounds had evolved into much greater project to do it right and replace one playground in its entirety and the existing surfacing on both playgrounds.

The HCF grant helped the HES playground committee kick off a more significant local fundraising campaign that not only provided funds for the project, but paved the way for a state matching grant of nearly $49,000 from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Main Street Ministries is a faith-based organization providing physical, emotional, and spiritual resources in a supportive environment.  Staff offer a housing and healing opportunity for women and mothers with young children in crisis.  With the help of volunteers, they manage a Food Bank for the community.

The ministry is funded by donations from many sources, including the Hillsboro Community Foundation.  HCF has funded grants of nearly $36,000 since 2009 through the Impact and Kansas Health funds.  Half of that amount has gone to supplement the Food Bank program and the other half to building renovations and equipment upgrades.

Supporting local charities is one important way HCF and donors can help to assist those who are strengthening our community.

Removed 06/22/24 from the Impact Page under Other Services due to pause by CKCF in the promotion of the program.

Invest Central Kansas – Impact Investing Program
The Invest Central Kansas program provides a form of community support and impact that goes beyond grants and scholarship awards.  The program makes investments in entities that advance the health and quality of life in the community, and may include investments in for-profit entities as well as non-profit entities.  For more information on the guidelines and application process, see Invest Central Kansas at the CKCF website

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