Your Community. Your Legacy. Our Home.
Smoky Hills Community Foundation is an Affiliate Foundation of Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation with all funds managed by GNWKCF.
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Smoky Hills Community Foundation Match Month is October
“Your $100 = $400 for Ellsworth County!”
October is our annual Match Month, and we have an incredible opportunity to multiply your impact!
Thanks to our generous matching partners, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and the Patterson Family Foundation turns into four!
Why Give?
- Support local education, public health, and vital infrastructure projects.
- Help build a strong, sustainable future for our community.
- No taxes owed on IRA RMDs when donated — turn $100 into $400 instead of keeping just $71 after taxes!
- Join us in making a lasting difference for Ellsworth County. Your generosity today means a brighter tomorrow for us all.
And don’t miss Ellsworth County’s Social Night Out! Your donation is your chance to RSVP! November 2nd at The Barn in Wilson, KS— A Donor Appreciation Event, with door prizes like KU basketball tickets, K-State football tickets, and more!
** Watch the video to find out all you need to know. **
Together, let’s create lasting change and make October a month of IMPACT for Ellsworth County!
Info
Find out more about Smoky Hills Community Foundation
About the Foundation
People
Learn about the team behind Smoky Hills Community Foundation
Colby Richard
Executive Director
Cheryl Rathburn
Board Chair
Sandy Robinson
Board Vice-Chair
Chris Tully
Board Secretary / Treasurer
Allison Koch
Board Member
Sarah Dlabal
Board Member
Kimbree Hopkins
Board Member
Kendra Ploutz
Board Member
Amanda Webb
Board Member
Amanda Webb
Board Member
Amanda Webb
Board Member
Impact
Discover Smoky Hills Community Foundation's impact on the community
Contact
Get in touch with Smoky Hills Community Foundation
PO Box 265
Ellsworth, KS 67439-0265
785-810-1235
Learn More
Find out more about opportunities to get involved
Keep 5 in Kansas
We have an opportunity in Ellsworth County to turn our hopes for the future into reality! If we capture a portion of the transfer of wealth from one generation to the next – even just 5% – by setting up endowments through the Smoky Hills Community Foundation, we could provide a permanent source of funding for our local organizations and causes that will greatly improve the lives of the residents of Ellsworth County.
Donor Advised Funds (DAF’s)
Donors receive charitable gift receipts for the contributions to their established DAF. The fund is normally named in someone’s memory or established as a “Family Fund”, however, the donor(s) may personalize as they wish. The donor(s) are setup as the advisors to their Fund, which allows them to make all grant recommendations from their DAF. Grant recommendations must be to qualifying charitable 501(c)(3) organizations, educational, government or religious entities per IRS rules. The donor(s) may name succeeding generations as successor advisors or transition it to the Foundation to advise over upon donor(s) death.
Contact one of our ACE Foundation board members or staff to learn more, or contact GNWKCF directly at 785-734-2406.
Types of Funds
Designated Funds
Funds which support a specific charitable organization or community foundation designated in the establishing documents.
Donor Advised Funds
A charitable fund in which the donor recommends grants to charitable organizations of his / her choice. Download more information HERE.
Field of Interest Funds
A fund established to provide grants to specific causes (not just one specific charity) you designate such as the arts, education, health and human services, a geographic location, or the environment. Download more information HERE.
Organizational Funds
A fund specific to a named community foundation or charitable organization.
Scholarship Funds
A fund to disburse scholarships to students meeting a set criteria (geographic, field of study, academic performance, community service, etc.), generally on a competitive basis, to be used for educational expenses. Scholarships are made payable to the educational institution on behalf of the student and not payable directly to the student.
Download more information HERE.
Unrestricted Fund
A fund in which a broad range of interests and activities may receive grants empowering the community foundation to make strategic grants wherever the greatest need and opportunity exists.
Endowed vs Non-Endowed
Donations made to an ENDOWMENT fund are intended to be given for perpetuity. The principal funds are invested and only the earnings are available for charitable grants.
Donations made to a NON-ENDOWED fund may be granted at any time per the guidelines of the established fund.
All funds are still subject to donor restrictions or intents per establishing documents.