ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Even in its service area, the Meade County Community Foundation is unknown to some, and recently, Director Cheyenne Federau started an outreach program to help people get to know more about the foundation.
Entitled “Community Connections,” the program was started in December, and Federau recently hosted events at the three senior centers in Meade County.
In the first round of outreach events, Federau talked to locals about what MCCF is and what it offers, as well as the new program from the Kansas Association of Community Foundations called “Keep 5 in Kansas.”
That program allows people to remember their community in their legacy by leaving just 5 percent of their estate to their local community foundation, which ensures the community’s future.
Federau said while community foundations would love for people to donate their entire estate to a foundation, the initiative will not take away from what people want to leave their families or any other wants they may have.
“It’s going to make a huge stride if people buy into it for the community foundation and for non-profits,” she said.
Federau also talked about some of the different fund options MCCF offers.
“You can always just donate, and it can go into the pot, and the board decides what we do with it,” she said. “We also have different fund options. One of my favorite ones is called the Donor Advised Fund, and there are really nice tax benefits for that too. The donor gets to choose things they’re interested in, and if I have something come across my desk like there’s a new pickleball court coming into town and they’re really big into recreation, I can call them and ask if that’s where they want their grant for their fund to go.”
Federau said she also likes this fund’s ability to be transferred to future generations, which keeps children involved in the foundation too.
“They can be really meaningful for families, and I really like them just because they keep the donors engaged,” she said. “We have all kinds of different funds too, but that’s a big one I highlighted.”
Federau said she took the idea for Community Connections from another community foundation.
“It’s tricky for me specifically as the director,” she said. “I’m on one side of the county, so I don’t get to meet people on the other side of the county as much in the Plains and Kismet area. I originally intended to just go to Plains, and then I thought if I’m doing this, I might as well do it through the whole county.”
Federau said she tweaked the idea she got from the Peabody Community Foundation slightly.
“It was a great opportunity for me to meet people in the community I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise, and it was pretty neat because some of the people I already work with through some of my non-profits were at some of these,” she said. “I had no idea they would’ve been there.”
Federau said she heard both good questions and suggestions at the recent events.
“There were a couple people who had some needs they brought to my attention I probably wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise,” she said. “It went really well. I hope to do this quarterly, but we will see.”
As for future events, Federau said she does not have topics planned yet, as she is in the middle of MCCF’s winter grant cycle, with grants scheduled to be awarded in mid-February.
“I think a possibility would be presenting what we did in the grant cycle and who we were able to focus on,” she said. “I didn’t bring anything with me this time that was something tangible they could look at. I told them different grants we had done, but I think I might do a little handout highlighting some of the grants we’ve done since we’ve started and maybe ones that would pertain to them.”
Federau said she hopes people will want to participate in Keep 5 in Kansas, but her main goal is to let people know what MCCF is and what it does.
“People think we’re funded through the county,” she said. “A lot of people think I work in the courthouse. I do not. I think a big thing for me is to let them know we are privately funded. Donors have the ability to choose where their funds go, and all of the funds we receive stay in Meade County.”
Federau said she also hopes people know the foundation is there to help them and not just take money for their own wants.
“We want to connect them where their heart is, and we’re approachable,” she said. “We really are pretty flexible. Whatever you want to do, if you’ve got a dream, give me a call, and we can see if we can make it happen.”
Federau said Community Connections likewise lets people know who to contact for funding needs.
“It’s important for me to get out there and make these connections,” she said.
As for the winter grant cycle, Federau said MCCF has a slightly bigger budget than it has had in the past.
“We’re really excited about that,” she said. “We have a little more flexibility if we need it, and we can always hold funds back too if we have to or we feel we don’t have the large applications.”
The current grant cycle closes Friday, and as of Monday, Federau had received 11 applications, and she is expecting a few more before Saturday.
“Things are looking very promising for our applicants, which is great, but that happens a lot,” she said. “Usually, we get a lot at the very end. We’ll see. I know of at least four more I’ve been told will be sent in. We’ll see if we get those and some others, but there’s some pretty neat projects in there.”
Federau said making connections with Meade County’s communities is her favorite part of the job.
“I do a lot of behind the scenes work people probably don’t realize I do with our record keeping system and our books and running the social media page and keeping all that up to date, but what I really love is meeting with people and hearing why they love Meade County and why it’s important to them and who are the non-profits that make an impact in their lives,” she said. “I really enjoyed it, and I really hope I’m able to continue it. It was really a meaningful thing for me.”
