The Earl Bane Foundation is a private foundation established in 1994 in Salina, Kansas. Founded by Earl Bane, a prominent Dairy Queen entrepreneur who operated 148 stores across seven states, the foundation was created as his way of giving back to the Salina community after his retirement from the business sector. Since its founding, the foundation has awarded more than $18 million in grants and scholarships.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$12.4M
+21.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.8M
+70.4% YoY
Grant Count
1
-98.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$1.8M
+11831.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission centers on improving Saline County and making it a better place for residents to live, work, and thrive. The foundation focuses on two primary areas:
Community Improvement Grants support nonprofit organizations and local governments providing educational, economic, scientific, or religious benefits to Salina and Saline County.
Education is advanced through a scholarship program for high school seniors from Saline County attending Kansas colleges, with criteria reflecting Earl Bane's values of strong work ethic, initiative, and resourcefulness.
Funding interests include:
- Higher education
- Children and youth services
- Social services
- Healthcare
- Community development
- Arts and culture
Grantmaking
The foundation does not use a formal grant application form. Organizations submit requests as letters including:
Grant Range
s and Types:**
Review Cycle
**
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in Saline County, Kansas. A limited number of grants are made to organizations outside the area that reflect Earl Bane's personal philanthropic interests.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of Fiscal Year Ending April 2025:
- Total Assets: $12,360,341
- Total Revenues: $4,215,612
- Total Expenses: $2,024,665
- Total Giving: $1,846,600
- Number of Grants: 71 (in prior year)
Revenue Composition (FY 2025):
- Investment income and dividends: $341,710
- Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: $3,873,902
Historical Assets:
- FY 2024: $10,200,000
- FY 2023: $9,200,000
The foundation operates with no employees and maintains a giving rate of approximately 14.9% of assets.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $12,360,341 | $10,169,394 | $9,203,490 |
| Revenue | $4,215,612 | $2,191,586 | $323,564 |
| Expenses | $2,024,665 | $1,224,586 | $1,496,246 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,906,016 | $1,144,579 | $1,352,385 |
| Net Investment Income | $4,117,801 | $2,111,621 | $247,903 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,490,541 | $1,289,314 | $1,212,598 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 1 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
201 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Board of Trustees:
- Robert Buster
- Melanie Bailey
- Mindy Tillberg
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Buster | President | 1 | $8,500 |
| Melanie Bailey | Treasurer | 2 | $16,750 |
| Mindy Tillberg | Secretary | 3 | $16,750 |
| Corlene Lange | Trustee | 1 | $8,500 |
| David Mills | Trustee | 2 | $8,500 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
Recent grant recipients have included Bethany College, Smoky Hills PBS, and the Salina Area Utility Women (SAUW), which received $200,000 for a childcare initiative. The foundation continues to award scholarships annually, with 2026 scholarship recipients announced and applications accepted through March 2, 2026.
Earl Bane Foundation Awards Grant to Smoky Hills PBS | KRSL.comIn 2019, Earl Bane was posthumously inducted into the Salina Business Hall of Fame in recognition of his entrepreneurial spirit and enduring contributions to the community.
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Similar funders by location and focus area
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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