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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The Hillsboro Public Library serves as an information center to provide resources and programs for cultural, educational, and recreational purposes.  It strives to provide opportunity and encouragement for people of all ages to educate themselves continually.

The library has applied for and received $13,700 in grants since 2008 through the Hillsboro Community Foundation’s annual grant cycle.  Among other requests, the grant funding has helped reduce fees for Summer Reading programs, implement a pre-school reading program, purchase audio books and internet access computers, and update areas of the library, including a recent children’s shelving project.

The Marion County Parents as Teachers program provides information, support, and encouragement to parents to help their children develop optimally during their crucial early years of life.

In 2012, the USD 410 Early Childhood Education Fund was established at the Hillsboro Community Foundation to generate additional funding for the program.  The goal was to extend services to more USD 410 families and reduce waiting list times.  Nearly $37,000 has been distributed to date by the endowment fund for this purpose.

Assistance to parents as their children’s first teachers is one of the best investments that can be made to prepare children for success in school and beyond.

Youth recreation plays a crucial role in shaping the physical, mental, and social well-being of our young people.  Organizing and running summer recreation activities for local youth is an ongoing task of the Hillsboro Recreation Commission. 

The Hillsboro Community Foundation and its donors have supported youth recreation by granting more than $25,000 to the Rec Commission over the years.  Among the grants awarded have been those for Memorial Park playground equipment, Aquatic Center touch-pad timing system, Disc Golf Course, JAM Basketball program, catchers’ equipment replacement, and online registration software.