WICHITA, Kan. – The Kansas Health Foundation is pleased to announce that it recently selected the first round of community foundations to participate in the second chapter of the Giving Resources to Our World Healthy Kansas Initiative (GROW II).  GROW II is focused on strengthening the community foundation field in Kansas and building endowments to underwrite solutions to local health issues.

“We know that many Kansans care deeply about their communities and if there was an opportunity for them to give back, they would.  GROW II is building the infrastructure to make that possible,” says Steve Coen, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. 

Twelve community foundations across Kansas have been selected to participate in GROW II and will be challenged to raise endowment dollars which will be matched by the Foundation.  If these GROW II communities are successful in their fundraising efforts, over $16 million will be raised for the betterment of communities across Kansas. 

Below is a list of the community foundations selected to participate in this first round of GROW II in addition to the matching endowed grant amount they are eligible to receive from the Kansas Health Foundation.

·Central Kansas Community Foundation ($600,000) — serving Harvey, Marion and McPherson counties

·Community Foundation for Cloud County ($300,000)

·Community Foundation of Dickinson County ($500,000)

·Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas ($600,000) — serving Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford and Labette counties

·Douglas County Community Foundation ($600,000)

·Greater Salina Community Foundation ($800,000)

·Golden Belt Community Foundation ($500,000) — serving Barton, Pawnee, Rush and Stafford counties

·Heartland Community Foundation ($500,000) — serving Ellis, Rooks and Trego counties

·Hillsboro Community Foundation ($300,000)

·Republic County Community Foundation ($300,000)

·Russell County Area Community Foundation ($300,000)

·Smith County Community Foundation ($300,000) 

In addition to the matching endowed grants, each of the above community foundations will receive training, one-on-one consulting and support and, if they meet certain benchmarks, an operating grant of 3.5 percent of the matching grant awarded by the Foundation on an annual basis for six years. 

The Kansas Health Foundation will include additional community foundations in the GROW II program in 2010 and 2011. 

The Kansas Health Foundation started working with community foundations across Kansas in the late 1990s as a way to further its mission of improving the health of all Kansans.  The Foundation believes that strong community foundations build healthier communities. 

To arrange interviews with Kansas Health Foundation staff members, call Communication Officer Kathy Manweiler at 316-262-7676 or send her an e-mail at kmanweiler@khf.org.