Jewell County Community Foundation - Kansas

10/19/2026

It's National Estate Planning Awareness Week.

If your will has been in a drawer for years, this is a good week to pull it out. Does it still fit your family? Are the beneficiaries on your retirement accounts and life insurance up to date? Is there a place or cause here you’d like to keep supporting? We’re happy to help you think it through. Call (785) 378 -5055.

10/18/2026

❤️ Let’s talk about how The Great Give works!

We're about 6 weeks away from our first match day, The Great Give! On Tuesday, December 1, you can support Jewell County nonprofits and organizations that make our communities better places to live, work, and grow.

Here’s how you can be part of it:

✨ Choose a cause you care about. Make a gift to an eligible JCCF fund.

✨ Help your gift go further. Thanks to a $30,000 matching pool, eligible gifts can receive additional support through The Great Give!

✨ Make a lasting impact. Your donation helps grow an organization’s endowment, supporting its work for years to come.

You can give online or by mail starting November 29, or join us in person at the Mankato Community Center on December 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Online gifts will be accepted through December 4!

Every gift invests in Jewell County's future. ❤️

Visit https://www.thegreatgivejc.com/ to see who's participating and to learn more about the event!

More details coming soon!

10/16/2026

We’ve officially finished up another great KACF conference!

It was great networking, making new friends, seeing our fellow affiliates, and learning new ideas!

Sessions covered everything from housing, fund development, marketing, gifts of grain and land, and more!

As we wrapped up the conference, our keynote speaker, Sam Glenn, discussed how attitude changes everything. He reminded us of the power of positivity and how we are in the position to make a difference in our community and beyond!

We are feeling inspired, and are ready to head home and turn ideas into ACTION!

10/16/2026

Fall grants are due soon! Make sure to get your grant applications in by November 1st!

Learn more or apply at: https://jewellcountycf.org

10/15/2026

We’re having a great time at the Kansas Association of Community Foundations Annual Conference this week!

It’s been to awesome to connect with people from across the country and hear about the inspiring things happening in communities like ours.

We can't wait to bring these ideas home to strengthen our work in Jewell County! ✨

10/01/2026

✨ ELEVATE KANSAS FORUM✨

Yesterday was such a GOOD day! 🙌💚

Grateful for a room full of people doing the hard (and sometimes messy!) work of making our communities better—improving the systems where we work, play & live. 🏡💪

Even better? Getting to do it alongside some pretty amazing community foundation friends! 🤝💚

Leaving inspired, encouraged and reminded that community change happens when good people show up, roll up their sleeves and keep working together. 👏✨

So thankful to be part of this work! 💚🌱

10/01/2026

🎉 Something GREAT is coming to Jewell County! 🎉

Mark your calendars for December 1, 2026—the first-ever The Great Give: Jewell County Day of Giving!

The Great Give is a one-day celebration of the local organizations and causes that make Jewell County a great place to live. ❤️ On December 1, our community will come together to give back to the local nonprofits and organizations we care about — and $30,000 in matching funds will help make those gifts go even further!

📅 December 1, 2026
📍 Mankato Community Center
⏰ 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
💻 Online giving will also be available beginning November 29 and runs through December 4th,

Whether you choose to give $10, $100, or whatever is meaningful to you, your gift can make a difference right here in Jewell County.

This is more than a day of giving — it’s a day to celebrate the people, organizations, and ideas that make our communities stronger.

One Day. Local Causes. A Greater Impact.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we introduce the organizations participating in The Great Give and share more about how you can join in!

Visit 🌐 https://www.thegreatgivejc.com/ to learn more!

09/29/2026

Check out this opportunity right in our backyard! This is a great opportunity to build your network and explore resources!

Big ideas move forward when the right people connect.

This October, Community partners from across the region are invited to attend one of two NWKS Resource Partner Meet and Greet events.

Choose the location that works for you:
📍 COLBY
Tuesday, October 20 | 1–3 p.m.
City Limits Bar & Grill Convention Center

📍 BELOIT
Wednesday, October 21 | 9–11 a.m.
Beloit Municipal Building

Meet representatives from the Rural Business Cooperative Service, Kansas Department of Commerce, USDA, Dane G. Hansen Foundation and Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center.

Stop by, ask questions and learn more about the resources that could help turn your next business or community idea into action.

Building a booming Northwest Kansas takes all of us.

RSVP by October 16: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NWKSMeetandGreet

09/24/2026

This week, we had the incredible opportunity to welcome Robert Newton, with the Patterson Family Foundation, to Jewell County!

Monday, we kicked off his visit with quick tour of Jewell County EMS facilities followed by a regional discussion at 302 Delaware with representatives from Jewell, Mitchell, Osborne, and Smith counties. We shared ideas about the strengths and challenges of our area, and exciting opportunities ahead. We also heard from the 302 Delaware team about how they came together as a community to make their project a reality. They are a great example of how investing your time, treasure, and talents in your community creates meaningful change.

On Tuesday we spent the day visiting with several organizations in Jewell County about the work they are doing. As we spoke with those locals, we heard success stories, candidly discussed the challenges and barriers facing our communities, and gained a deeper understanding of the people and ideas working to make Jewell County a stronger place.

We toured JCS Community Wellness Center and Jewell County Strong Community Daycare before sitting down for lunch with the JCCF Board of Directors. From there, we visited with Rock Hills USD 107 about their plans for upgrades to machinery in their ag shop, followed by a presentation from Nolan Grout about his Eagle Scout project. Then we finished up the day at the Burr Oak Community Library and learned how the library has become an essential gathering space and resource for people in the community.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to showcase the people, ideas, and organizations that make Jewell County special. These conversations are a great reminder of how much is happening in our communities — and how much potential there is when we work together.

We want to send a huge thanks to the Patterson Family Foundation for investing in our communities. And we thank the people in our communities who are making things happen!

06/15/2026

During its spring grant cycle, the Jewell County Community Foundation awarded over $38,000 to 11 projects throughout Jewell County. The following organizations received funding:

🚒Esbon Rural Fire District #3: $2,446.70 for walkaway brackets and a free-standing hanging unit

📚❤️Burr Oak Community Library: $1,430 for 2 complete AED units with wall cabinets

🏡👶Jewell County Strong, Inc: $1,312.52 for a new front for the community daycare

🚰🧰City of Esbon: $1,400 for a hydrant flow test kit

🌱🌻Post Rock Extension District: $3,500 for a garden at the Jewell County Strong Wellness Center

🛝♿City of Jewell: $5,587 for inclusive play space equipment at Maag City Park

🏊‍♀️💪Jewell County Strong Inc: $1,206.54 for aquatic therapy tools and weight room mirrors

🚒🦺Jewell County Fire District 6: $5,072 for fire equipment

🤱🏥Jewell County Health Department: $1,000 for a mobile lactation station

🎆✨Jewell County Revitalization: $7,000 for the Jewell County Skies: Sparkling with Independence celebration

🎭❄️Jewell County Cinema, Inc: $8,500 for a new HVAC for the Ute Theatre

This round of grants was made possible by two funds at the community foundation: the Dane G. Hansen Community Grant Fund, which focuses on improving quality of life throughout the county, and the Jewell County Community Fund, which focuses on the present and future needs of Jewell County.

The foundation’s next grant cycle opens September 1, with online applications due Nov 1, 2026. For more information, visit https://jewellcountycf.org/grants/ or contact Kyra Gritten at (785) 378 - 5055 or [email protected].