Greater Salina Community Foundation
The Greater Salina Community Foundation is a public charity based in Salina, Kansas. Formed in 1999, it says its mission is to improve lives and enrich communities. The Foundation brings together donors, nonprofits, and community leaders, and makes grants and scholarships while stewarding charitable funds.
Key facts about Greater Salina Community Foundation
In short: Greater Salina Community Foundation gave $24.1M across 328 grants in 2025 (avg $73K), mostly in Kansas. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 48-1215503
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $24,089,115
- Grants made (2025)
- 328
- Average grant
- $73,442
- Median grant
- $14,351
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (81 of 325, 2025)
- Total assets
- $318,885,071
- Primary geography
- Kansas (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- Eligible organizations can apply through the Foundation’s grant applications. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The website lists Spring LOI dates of February 9–23 and Fall LOI dates of August 1–15 for Relationship Based…
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$318.9M
+12.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$24.1M
+21.8% YoY
Grant Count
328
+20.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$73K
+1.0% YoY
Is Greater Salina Community Foundation open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 81 of 325 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $39K; repeat grants $86K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $16K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated mission is to improve lives and enrich communities. Its Community Impact Grants support arts and culture, community development and environment, youth and education, health and human services, parks and recreation, and public safety. Other named funds support early childhood care and development, public health, and youth education in arts, humanities, technology, invention, and science.
Eligible applicants for Community Impact Grants include 501(c)(3) nonprofits, educational institutions, government entities, and religious institutions. Individuals or organizations outside those categories are encouraged to work with a fiscal agent in an eligible category.
The Foundation’s 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Bethany College describes its work as educating and developing students in a liberal arts setting; Rolling Hills Zoo Foundation says it works to preserve wildlife through conservation programs and educational experiences; and Teen Town says it provides teens with a safe, affordable place to gather. Other recipients included Salina Community Theatre, which says it creates theatrical programs and opportunities to participate in theatre; Kansas Wesleyan University, which describes its work as integrating academic excellence and personal well-being; Salina Innovation Foundation, which aims to preserve the historic Salina Temple as a community resource center; and Prairieland Market, which seeks to promote community well-being through healthy food choices and food education.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 328 grants totaling $24,089,115. Grant amounts ranged from $5,057 to $4,269,646, with a median of $14,350. In its 2024 filing, the Foundation reported issuing grants to 1,026 charitable organizations, averaging $26,000 per grant.
The largest reported 2025 grants included $4,269,646 to Bethany College, $3,060,279 to Rolling Hills Zoo, $2,367,209 to Salina Presbyterian Manor, and $2,130,666 to TeenTown Inc. Other notable grants were $1,007,715 to the Greater Salina Community Foundation, $378,825 to Theatre Salina, and $299,637 to Kansas Wesleyan University.
The Foundation describes four application options for nonprofit funding, including Relationship Based Philanthropy and Responsive Grants, which consider requests up to $2,500. Its website says Community Impact applicants submit one application, which a grants committee reviews to determine the best-fit fund. It also says competitive grants require a signed grant agreement and a written final report describing how the funds were spent.
Review Cycle
The website lists Spring LOI dates of February 9–23 and Fall LOI dates of August 1–15 for Relationship Based Philanthropy; six Responsive Grants cycles running March 1–April 1, May 1–June 1, July 1–August 1, September 1–October 1, November 1–December 1, and January 1–February 1; and Women Helping Women cycles with deadlines January 5, March 5, May 5, July 5, September 5, and November 5. The listed dates do not specify a year, so their current status cannot be determined from the information provided.
How to Apply
Eligible organizations can apply through the Foundation’s grant applications. Applicants outside the listed eligible categories are encouraged to partner with a fiscal agent; the Foundation advises them to contact it if that is not possible.
Open Grants
80 open opportunities from Greater Salina Community Foundation
Booker T. Washington Scholarship Grant
Greater Salina Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
CFCC: Carol Puckett Memorial Scholarship Grant
Greater Salina Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
CFCC: CF Sunshine Scholarship Grant
Greater Salina Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Ready to take the next step with Greater Salina Community Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation says Community Impact Grants are generally limited to projects or programs benefiting Saline County, Kansas. The stated exceptions are early childhood care, education, and development projects in Ottawa County, Kansas, and eligible founding donors outside Saline County, including Bethany College and Bethany Home Association, through the Fund for Greater Salina. The Foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went primarily to Kansas recipients, with 91% reported in Kansas; smaller shares went to Illinois, Washington, D.C., Nebraska, and Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 328 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $10.5M (2020) to $46.7M (2022). In 2025 it made 328 grants totaling $24.1M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Bethany College ($4.3M). Together the top 10 received $14.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
1,354 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,091 grants of 1,354 (81%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bethany College Lindsborg, KS | Education | $4,269,646 |
| Rolling Hills Zoo Salina, KS | Conservation & Environment | $3,060,279 |
| Salina Presbyterian Manor Salina, KS | Human Services | $2,367,209 |
| TeenTown Inc Salina, KS | Youth Services | $2,130,666 |
| Greater Salina Community Foundation Salina, KS | Internal | $1,007,715 |
| Theatre Salina Salina, KS | Arts & Culture | $378,825 |
| USD 307 Ell-Saline Schools Brookville, KS | Parks & Recreation | $311,000 |
| Kansas Wesleyan University Salina, KS | Education | $299,637 |
| Adoratio Foundation Beloit, KS | Religion | $290,000 |
| Salina Innovation Foundation Salina, KS | Arts & Culture | $258,055 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $318,885,071 | $31,401,582 | $29,300,361 | $24,089,115 |
| 2024 | $284,739,126 | $24,911,085 | $23,202,281 | $19,769,524 |
| 2023 | $250,252,579 | $20,687,907 | $32,318,800 | $30,144,297 |
In its 2024 filing, the Foundation described an endowment of 747 funds established by community donors. It also reported that certain donor-advised funds totaling $122,965,385 were reclassified as spendable based on their fund agreements.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $318,885,071 | $284,739,126 | $250,252,579 |
| Revenue | $31,401,582 | $24,911,085 | $20,687,907 |
| Expenses | $29,300,361 | $23,202,281 | $32,318,800 |
| Net Investment Income | $5,437,692 | $3,876,231 | $4,180,972 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 19, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS December 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 19, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS October 27, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the Foundation’s 2025 filing include Maggie S Hemmer, Chairman; Kathy Schwerdtfager, Chair Elect; Dr Rob Freelove, Secretary; Ryan Commerford, Treasurer; and John Quinley, Past-Chairman. The filing also lists Karen Black, Kelly Brown, Brandon Cheeks, Doyle Comfort, and Lindsay Garber as directors.
Greater Salina Community Foundation is led by Jessica Martin, President & Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 2 of 20 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jessica Martin
President & Executive Director
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$101K (2019) → $133K (2025)
Maggie S Hemmer
Chairman
Chair → Chair Elect, 2024
Chair Elect → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kristin Blake
Director of Finance
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$17K (2024) → $72K (2025)
Brandon Cheeks
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bryan Herwig
Director
Chairman → Past-Chairman, 2023
Past-Chairman → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Black
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bailey Ramsey
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Denice Justus
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Wedel
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Doyle Comfort
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Josh Howard
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jon Ramsey
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie Goetz
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Brown
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lindsay Garber
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Palen
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Quinley
Past-Chairman
Chairman Elect → Chairman, 2024
Chairman → Past-Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rob Freelove
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ryan Commerford
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Schwerdtfager
Chair Elect
Director → Chair Elect, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (19)
- Former: Johnny Keopraseuth (2019–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Cole Graham (2021–2024) — Director of Finance
- Former: Bryan Anderson (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Barb Young (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Reyna Banda Torres (2023) — Director
- Former: Bobby Richardson (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Brandy Felzien (2019–2022) — Secretary Treasurer
- Former: Gail Boyer (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Guy Walker (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Lee Legleiter (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Loren Young (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Susan Weis (2019–2022) — Director of Finance
- Former: Reyna Banda-Torres (2022) — Director
- Former: Paula Fried (2019–2021) — Past Chairman
- Former: Peter Peterson (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Betsy Scholten (2021) — Director
- Former: Lee Young (2021) — Director
- Former: Larry Fief (2019–2020) — Director & Past Chairman
- Former: Martha Rhea (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $133K, to Jessica Martin (President & Executive Dire). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 119 W Iron 8Th Floor, Salina, KS 67402
Phone: (785) 823-1800
Website: https://gscf.org
Frequently asked questions about Greater Salina Community Foundation
How much does Greater Salina Community Foundation give each year?
Greater Salina Community Foundation gave $24.1M across 328 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $19.8M across 272 grants.
What is Greater Salina Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Greater Salina Community Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $14,351, and its average grant was $73,442, across 328 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Greater Salina Community Foundation that year got $39K on average.
Where does Greater Salina Community Foundation give grants?
Greater Salina Community Foundation gives mostly in Kansas: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Salina, KS (94 grants), Concordia, KS (21 grants), Hays, KS (14 grants) and Lindsborg, KS (11 grants).
Does Greater Salina Community Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 328 grants with a stated purpose on Greater Salina Community Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (69 grants), "Human Services" (68 grants) and "Community Development" (47 grants).
Who are Greater Salina Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Greater Salina Community Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Bethany College ($4,269,646), Rolling Hills Zoo ($3,060,279) and Salina Presbyterian Manor ($2,367,209), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Greater Salina Community Foundation?
Greater Salina Community Foundation reported $318.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $31.4M.
What does Greater Salina Community Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to improve lives and enrich communities. Its Community Impact Grants support arts and culture, community development and environment, youth and education, health and human services, parks and recreation, and public safety. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Greater Salina Community Foundation?
Eligible organizations can apply through the Foundation’s grant applications. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Greater Salina Community Foundation's EIN?
Greater Salina Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 48-1215503. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Here's the math on researching Greater Salina Community Foundation by hand.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Greater Salina Community Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/greater-salina-community-foundation-morg_11fe19264fcd480599cfb26504a2a9f4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_481215503_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Greater Salina Community Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/greater-salina-community-foundation-morg_11fe19264fcd480599cfb26504a2a9f4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Greater Salina Community Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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