ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There has been a lot of work done in recent times to acquire grant funding for projects and other work throughout the City of Liberal, and as Finance Director Kristyn Reust tells it, 2025 was a busy year in that regard.
“In 2025, the City of Liberal submitted a total of 18 grant applications. Out of those, eight have been awarded so far, six are still pending, and the others were not awarded,” Reust said. “That represents approximately $1.2 million in grant funds awarded this year. That does not include the Drug Court funding, which brings in another $221,000, which would bring the overall total to $1.4 million. About 45 percent of our applications have been awarded, 33 percent of them are still pending, and the remaining 22 percent were not awarded. The pending category is important because several of those applications are still in competitive review cycles and may result in additional funding later this year, hopefully in the next couple months.”
Reust then talked about where the grant funds are coming from.
“The majority of the applications – about 56 percent of them – were through state funding sources. Local grants made up 22 percent, while federal and private grants each accounted for about 11 percent,” Reust said. “This reflects where the strongest opportunities currently exist for cities like ours, particularly at the state level.”
Out of the received grants, Reust said there are some particular highlights.
“First, the city received approval for just more than $1 million in federal solar green energy credits, which supports recent solar-powered projects and helps offset long-term energy costs,” Reust said. “Additionally, a request totaling – and this number needs to be updated somewhat – $2.7 million in water projects has been submitted to the Kansas Water Office and is currently under review, as has an additional $5.3 million towards loan forgiveness. If approved, that forgiveness would significantly reduce the city’s financial obligation on major water infrastructure improvements. Another important highlight is the Leadership Transformation Grant, which provides leadership development training for selected city staff through a partnership with the Kansas Leadership Center. This type of grant strengthens the organization internally and helps us build long-term capacity, not just physical infrastructure.”
Reust added the grants can cover quite a wide scope of work.
“Collectively, these grants support a wide range of city priorities, including infrastructure, public transit, traffic safety, parks and trails, historic preservation, energy efficiency, and staff development,” Reust said. “Many of these projects would be difficult to fund through local dollars alone, which is why grant funding remains such a critical tool. It’s also important to note while some grants have local match requirements, several private and foundational grants require no local match, and others use a standard 80/20 split or similar match structure that can include in-kind labor. All match requirements are reviewed carefully to ensure they align with the city’s budget and capital planning.”
Overall, Reust said, a lot of good work has been done in terms of grants.
“The city continues to be competitive in securing grant funding with a strong mix of awarded and pending applications that support both immediate needs and long-term priorities,” Reust said. “We appreciate the Liberal City Commission’s continued support of these efforts, there’s definitely a lot of good work going on.”
