HUTCHINSON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Hutchinson Community Foundation awarded Fund for Reno County grants totaling $311,779 to 31 nonprofit organizations in its second impact cycle of 2026.
Established in 1990, the Fund for Reno County Endowment serves as a permanent resource for the changing needs of Reno County. Grants represent an innovative approach or collaboration, a new efficiency, a critical need that requires funding or an opportunity that needs a bit of local support to leverage resources for the community.
All Fund for Reno County 2026 grants will be recognized at UPLIFT 2026, taking place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 19 at Rhapsody on B at The Crystal Ballroom, 3 W. Ave. B, Hutchinson.
Funding for Impact Cycle 2 grants was supplemented by contributions from the following donor advisors through the foundation’s Giving Together program: Shirley Brandyberry, Dee and David Dillion, Peg Stephens, and Betty and James Taylor.
Proposals for the grants are accepted during impact cycles in February and August. Impact Cycle 2 grants are aimed at projects in the following categories: Community Catalyst, Dynamic Culture, Thriving Kids, and Strong Organizations.
The following organizations received grants:
Community Catalyst: $5,000
Projects that improve community engagement, communication, confidence and pride.
New Beginnings, Inc., $2,500: Funds will support marketing efforts for Feel Fest 2026, which aims to introduce and normalize mental health concepts through creative, engaging experiences. Attendees are expected to leave empowered, aware of their own agency, connected to real solutions, and confident that talking about life’s hardships is both healthy and necessary.
The Mary Magdalene House, $2,500: Funds will support the pilot program Moms in Recovery, which was created as a connection group centered around cooking and shared meal nights for moms who are in recovery and need additional emotional support and education to meet the demands of being good mothers.
Dynamic Culture: $162,147
Projects that enhance and celebrate local arts, theater, history and tourism.
Dynamic Culture grants are supplemented by the following funds: the Carolyn A. Dillon Fund for the Arts, the Arts & Humanities Endowed Fund, and the Grace Paul Endowment Fund for Reno County.
City of Sylvia, $10,000: Funds will support the creation of two coordinated public murals that work together to establish a cohesive visual identity for downtown Sylvia. At the Sylvia Post Office, a vintage postage stamp-inspired mural will be painted celebrating Sylvia’s history, landscapes, wildlife, agriculture and community pride. The Downtown Mural will be a painted marquee inspired by classic Americana roadside signs that creates the illusion of a glowing historic marquee welcoming visitors with the message that Sylvia is truly “Worth the Detour.”
Hutch Rec, $10,000: Funding will help Hutch Rec and the Founders Neighborhood launch “Bringing Back The Front Porch,” a one-evening porch music festival in the fall of 2027 that brings live music to the front porches of the Founders Neighborhood.
Hutch Rec, $4,000: This project will see Hutch Rec and DCI install six permanent art sign structures at DCI Park, replacing a successful 2023 temporary banner pilot with a lasting installation. Each structure will feature rotating artwork from local established and emerging artists, refreshed seasonally and centered around the April Art Battle.
Hutchinson Theatre Guild (Stage 9), $11,000: This project will help support "Every Brilliant Thing,” a 75-minute, one-man show tracing the character’s growth from age 7 to adulthood. The production is intended to refresh Stage 9's placemaking history, energize its audiences, invigorate its potential audiences and inspire the people of Reno County.
Hutchinson’s Historic Fox Theatre, $35,000 over three years: Funding will help the theater present up to three free “By The Bus Informances” annually for public, private and homeschooled students in Reno County. Informances are interactive performances combining live entertainment and instruction to help students engage with the art form presented. Grant funding will cover artist and production costs.
Pretty Prairie United Methodist Church, $3,147: Funding will cover the cost of supplies for several painted barn quilts that will be displayed in Pretty Prairie downtown buildings to enhance community pride.
Quivira Chapter, Santa Fe Trail Association, $20,000: This project will engage people of all ages in exploring the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and the diverse people who shaped it through a four-day symposium that will include educational sessions, bus tours and historical presentations and interpretive programs. Grant dollars will pay for associated event costs.
Reno County Historical Society, $20,000 over four years: This project will create a community‑shaped exhibit exploring the businesses, industries and founders who built Reno County. Through curated artifacts, new donations and public story‑sharing, the exhibit will preview a future permanent installation while strengthening community connection, refining our collection, and celebrating the people who shaped our local history.
Salt City Orchestra Association, $35,000 over three years: Funding will go toward presenting live orchestral concerts and related programming, supporting music education and outreach in local schools and the community, and providing opportunities for musicians to perform orchestral repertoire.
Sky Ryders Performing Arts Foundation, $14,000: Funds will be used to buy a mobile kitchen trailer. It will be used to serve safe, nutritious meals to corps members and staff during training camps in Hutchinson and on tour.
Thriving Kids: $86,562
Projects that support high-quality early care and education, youth development and families.
Thriving Kids grants are supplemented by the following funds: the Helen Adams Hamilton Children and Education Fund, the Early Childhood Endowed Fund, the Bernice Reinhart Fund for the Children of Hutchinson, the Big Brothers Christmas Fund, the Edna Williams Endowed Field of Interest Fund for Children, and the Helen W. Lang Fund for Children.
Birthright Hutchinson, $12,000: This project will provide materials including cribs, car seats, diapers, formula and clothing for babies and families to enhance their well-being.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hutchinson, Inc., $6,000: Funds will go toward a lock in event for middle school students, giving seventh-grade students dedicated time to focus on assignments and skills needed for academic success. During this structured program, students receive individualized support from a certified teacher to complete coursework, ask questions, and build confidence.
Clothed in Compassion, $4,000: Funds will support the Kitchen Hero Sensory Garden Enhancement Project that will expand an existing garden at Hutchinson Zoo into a multi-sensory, therapeutic environment for youth and community members of all abilities. Students and visitors will interact with plants through touch, smell, taste, sight, sound, and movement, promoting therapeutic experiences and meaningful connections to food and nature.
ESSDACK, $869: Funds will pay for Luna June (golden retriever) to attend therapy dog school at Special K9. Once she has completed her training she will work at the Reno County Learning Center, helping and supporting students who are learning self-regulation skills.
FosterAdopt Connect, $16,000: FosterAdopt Connect serves foster children and families. Funds will help the organization’s ability to provide emergency assistance for at-risk families to help families address immediate needs, such as rent and utility payments, medical bills, and other essential needs.
Hutchinson Regional Medical Foundation, $20,000: Hutchinson Regional Medical Foundation is constructing the Bright Futures Academy, an early childhood education center to support workforce stability and expand access to quality child care for families. The facility will provide 130 licensed slots—100 prioritized for health care employees and 30 dedicated to children needing developmental or behavioral support. Funds will provide furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, $3,500: Funding will help cover the cost of continued quarterly match activities in the 2026-27 program year. The goal of these activities is to periodically give matches a new free activity to do together, to bring all matches together to feel a part of something bigger, to build a family-like atmosphere and to help all feel comfortable out in their community.
Kansas Children’s Service League, $6,330: This project aims to provide families enrolled in Kansas Children's Service League Healthy Families program with basic cooking and kitchen supplies, food storage options, and/or access to food when transportation to a store is a barrier. KCLS serves families with food insecurity and financial challenges that may contribute to toxic stress, a risk factor for child abuse or neglect.
Plum Creek Robotics Club, $8,488: Funding will purchase Lego Education’s Computer Science and AI kits in conjunction with corresponding instructor education materials to build a foundation for young learners. The Plum Creek Robotics Club aims to expose, educate, and equip Plum Creek Elementary students with knowledge and skills in the areas of engineering, computer science, AI and robotics.
USD 311-Pretty Prairie, $3,875: Funds will help USD 311 host a Family Reading Night to promote early literacy and family engagement. Students and parents/guardians will participate in a DIY teddy bear workshop to create a personalized reading buddy and receive an age-appropriate book to take home.
USD 312-Haven Schools, $5,500: The purpose of this project is to continue revitalizing and expanding the Haven Grade School library collection by purchasing 487 new fiction and nonfiction books to complement and enhance the curriculum. The focus of this expansion is on quality literature, such as classics, Newbery Award books and popular authors alongside current nonfiction subjects that are relevant and intriguing for fourth- through sixth-grade students at various reading levels.
Strong Organizations: $58,070
Projects that strengthen the capacity, sustainability and resilience of Reno County community-based organizations.
Central Kansas Interfaith Justice Organization, Inc., $7,500: Grant funds will help with training and travel costs that will equip clergy and lay leaders with the skills to listen to their communities, identify root causes, research solutions and organize for effective action. Through training, coaching and hands-on experience, leaders will strengthen a new organization capable of creating systemic change across Reno County and central Kansas.
Hutchinson Meals on Wheels, $7,500: Funds will support the project Foundation for the Future, which will strengthen the organization's long-term capacity to provide nutritious home-delivered meals to older adults and other vulnerable neighbors by pursuing strategic partnerships, shared resources and sustainable facilities. This investment will ensure uninterrupted service, improve efficiency and preserve access to essential nutrition as community demand continues to grow.
Hutchinson Recovery Hub, $6,320: The Hutchinson Recovery Hub (HRH) empowers individuals in all types of recovery by partnering with the community to create safe, inclusive spaces that nurture growth, hope, and meaningful connections to sustain long-term recovery. Funds to cover start-up costs for technology, administrative supplies and leadership training that will increase connection with the group’s target demographic and its pool of regular monthly donors.
K-State Extension Reno County, $6,750: This project will strengthen Reno County's food system by creating a shared food preservation equipment library and expanding hands-on extension education. Funds will purchase equipment for classes and community checkout, increasing knowledge of and access to safe food preservation, reducing food waste, improving food security, and helping residents preserve locally grown food while building long-term self-sufficiency for community members.
Rooted Hope, $7,500: Funds will purchase a 20-channel QEEG-guided neurofeedback system, that will improve clinical assessment, allow for more individualized treatment planning, and expand access to neurofeedback services. This equipment upgrade will position Rooted Hope as one of the few providers in the region offering advanced brain-based interventions alongside traditional counseling, strengthening both the effectiveness and sustainability of our services for children, adolescents, and families.
Salvation Army of Reno County, $7,500: Funding will cover expenses that ensure more households receive a Thanksgiving gift card for their choice of protein and a Christmas food basket, easing the financial pressure many experience during the holiday season. The Salvation Army’s Holiday Assistance program will help nearly 1,000 households put food on the table.
Sunshine Meadows Retirement Community, $7,500: Sunshine Meadows Retirement Community will engage an experienced organizational consultant to conduct a comprehensive assessment of its operations and governance. Funds will strengthen the leadership, planning and framework needed to sustain the organization’s mission of serving all seniors.
TECH, $7,500: This project will bring approximately 12 members of the agency’s board, executive leadership team, and staff together for a professionally facilitated off-site leadership retreat. Funding will go toward sustaining and enriching the organization’s impact by investing in stronger leadership, governance, fundraising and strategic planning.
Hutchinson Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire philanthropy, leadership and collaboration to strengthen Reno County. Since 1989, the foundation has granted more than $115 million to organizations.