ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
The Meade County Community Foundation recently distributed $16,500 in grants to 17 applicants for its summer grant cycle, and along with its winter grant cycle, the foundation has donated nearly $30,000 to local charities this year.
MCCF Director Cheyenne Federau said 31 applicants were awarded money in February, and she said the foundation, which started in 2019, has now rewarded more than $76,000 to non-profits in its history.
In the past, MCCF has had to turn down some applicants due to lack of funding, but Federau said those non-profits often reapply and receive funding.
“We have some who apply every time, and they have been ones who we haven’t been able to always fund,” she said.
Federau said the foundation does not have a waiting list of applicants, but she did say she has some other area foundations to refer them to if MCCF does not have the funding at the time.
“I didn’t have to do that this time, which was really awesome,” she said. “We were able to fund everybody.”
One of the projects funded was gas for a senior shuttle bus for Meade’s Beam Senior Center in the amount of $600. Federau said the center has a vehicle and a driver hired and is ready to start the program.
“They’re going to pick up seniors and bring them to appointments,” she said. “Right now, this is only available in the city of Meade, and it’s to appointments that are in Meade. It doesn’t help if it’s a specialist where they have to go to Dodge or Liberal or somewhere else, but it does meet a need we have in our community.”
Federau said the grant application for the senior center was a solution to a need she had heard about at an MCCF board meeting.
“When I went to the mail the next week and opened up that grant application, my jaw dropped, and here is the solution,” she said.
Helping with the foundation’s success, Federau said, is the recent creation of endowment funds to help with MCCF’s sustainability and unrestricted grants.
“Eventually when we get off that, we’ll have one for everything we spend for our grants, and we have one for operating expenses too so we can make sure we can keep going,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see the investment from different people, donors, businesses, organizations have made into our community.”
Federau said being able to help non-profits through the foundation is amazing, and she said since MCCF’s beginning, a trust has been established and grown in the community, as have relationships with donors, organizations and community members.
“We are the way to help donors become more generous, and how we do that by connecting them to the needs,” she said. “I feel we have a really neat platform and view on the community.”
MCCF has board members from the county’s three communities – Meade, Plains and Fowler – and Federau said foundation officials are looking at adding one from Kismet in Seward County due to its close proximity to those communities.
“That helps us, and through our grant application process and being out there in our community, our board members are all very active in different parts of the community,” she said. “We know where the needs are. If you are just one person, it’s really hard for you to see what is the most needed thing. That’s a neat way we’re able to help them out, and it’s a way to connect everyone.”
Other grants awarded with the summer cycle included $1,000 for books for Meade County Core Community’s Freezer Meal Class. Federau said that program likewise teaches financial literacy and find resources to help get out of poverty.
“They teach people how to do things,” she said. “I’ve seen how it’s changed people’s lives tremendously, but the event they’re doing is a cooking class on freezer meals. That’s something I did in my prior experience as an ag teacher, so when I saw that one roll through, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to help with this.’ For me, it’s a way you can put something in your freezer, you can pull it out, and you can save $10 to $20 on takeout.”
A grant of $950 went to the Plains Community Library to help purchase makerspace sewing machines and items for a crafting class, allowing patrons to learn how to repair their own clothing.
“We have nothing like that in our community where you can just go, sit down and fix something, and to me, that is also going to be something that’s really impactful across everybody in our community,” Federau said.
Meade’s Artesian Valley Health System has received multiple grants from the foundation, and with this cycle, $2,500 was awarded to that facility.
“They do community events,” Federau said. “We just did the Back to School Bash. They do that in the Meade City Park, but half the people there were from Plains and Kismet. There’s a couple who come over from Fowler too.”
AVHS also has a partnership with the Meade Church of the Nazarene to give backpacks to students, and that program received $1,000 from MCCF.
“They purchase backpacks and school supplies for all the kids who come,” Federau said. “It’s a huge thing to alleviate some financial stress of going back to school for all the parents who were there.”
Safety bags for Meade County Conservation District’s Progressive Ag Day were purchased with $825 from MCCF funding.
“They do a safety day that teaches kids how to be safe around farm equipment,” Federau said. “They have safety bags, that include a first aid kit, a flashlight and other items. Those kids will get to take those homes.”
The City of Meade was able to purchase new concrete cornhole boards for Meade City Park with a $1,000 grant from the foundation, and the Meade County Historical Society received $2,000 to help with floor repairs from recent rain damage.
Non-profits can now apply for the upcoming winter grant cycle, which will be open through January 2026.
“You can pick up applications at any of the city offices in Meade County, any of the libraries in Meade County, and we’ll have applications available on Web site,” Federau said. “If you can’t find that, you can go to our Facebook page, and we’ll have a link to them on the Web site. Also, you can always reach out, and I can e-mail them out. They’re pretty accessible. It’s one page front and back. They’re only available to non-profits.”
Federau said MCCF officials ask for applications to be mailed if possible.
“Those funds will be available,” she said. “We’ll get them out the first of February.”
From Sept. 18 to Oct. 18, MCCF, in conjunction with the Kansas City-based Patterson Family Foundation, will allow donors to make the most of their fundraising through Match Month.
“They match everything we bring in during that time dollar for dollar, and that’s what’s been able to help us get our feet off the ground and get to rolling,” Federau said.
Federau said any non-profit who wants to partner with MCCF during Match Month can receive a match from the Patterson Family Foundation.
“If they want to set up an agency fund with us, an endowed fund, they put money in it, and they get the growth,” she said. “They get 4.5 percent off from it each year to do with it whatever they want. They can choose to do that, and they get their match. That doesn’t make sense for all non-profits, so then we get the match, and that will go to our next grant cycle. Either way, it’s a super win-win situation for our community.”
The finale of Match Month will feature an event Oct. 18 at Meade City Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Federau said all of Meade County’s non-profits will be on hand, and there will booths placed throughout the park as well.
“We’re going to have a pulled pork meal, and we’re going to have different activities and games,” she said. “Our non-profits will be doing that, and it’s going to be a free will donation, suggested donation. The money they raised there, they’ll also get to keep, and again, we’ll get a match from the Patterson Family Foundation.”
Adding to the excitement of Match Month will be a competition to see which non-profits can raise the most money.
“We have little ribbons we’re going to give out, and we’re going to have a big poster that shows who’s raised what amount of money,” Federau said. “We also have an online option too where you can donate online, and you can track it online to see how your favorite non-profits are doing. I’m hoping this starts some excitement through the community.”
Federau said anyone can participate in Match Month.
“You don’t have to participate at the park,” she said. “We’re trying to make it as accessible as we can to everyone, and we just want everybody to participate and be able to raise as much money as we can. The cap is $100,000, so we have quite a bit of room to work with, and we’re real excited about this opportunity.”
Overall, Federau said the summer 2025 grant cycle was an exciting one.
“There were a lot of awesome projects that will have long lasting effects in our community,” she said.
Federau said she loves being able to help out local agencies with the money MCCF awards in grants.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I can’t tell you how excited I get on the day I get to make the phone calls and tell everyone you were able to get the grant. When I go to the different events, when I saw equipment being used, it’s really heartwarming. It’s exciting being able to give to your community in this way. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”
