The Peoples Heartland Foundation
The Peoples Heartland Foundation is a public charity based in Smith Center, Kansas. Formed in 2012, it describes its purpose as operating a charitable and educational organization through which people can carry out their charitable and educational desires. Its 2025 filing also describes maintaining the Home on the Range cabin, which it says is listed on the National Historic Register and open for public viewing.
The Peoples Heartland Foundation at a glance
In short: The Peoples Heartland Foundation gave $390K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $35K), mostly in Kansas. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $389,933
- +63.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $35,448
- +78.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,000
- Total assets
- $12,915,110
- +10.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Kansas (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Peoples Heartland Foundation
- How to Apply
-
No application process or policy on unsolicited requests is stated in the available information.
- Contact
Mailing address: 136 S Main, Smith Center, KS 66967
Phone: (785) 282-6682
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Peoples Heartland Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was City of Pratt ($185K). Together the top 10 received $383K.
Grant Size Distribution
46 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 46 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Kansas and 2% went to a recipient in New York. The listed grants show support for organizations in Kansas communities including Pratt, Smith Center, Osborne, Greensburg, and Iuka, as well as Cornell Botanic Gardens in Ithaca, New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Peoples Heartland Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $44K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $23K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $6K (2018) to $390K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $390K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Pratt Pratt, KS | Point Pavillion & Green Trails Projects | $185,490 |
| Smith County Community Foundation Smith Center, KS | Ken Sidles Training Facility, General Unrestricted | $50,500 |
| Osborne County Fair Board Osborne, KS | General Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| The Roy & Elsie Blythe Foundation Pratt, KS | General Unrestricted | $25,485 |
| Pratt Community College Pratt, KS | Education | $22,979 |
| Kiowa County Wrestling Club Greensburg, KS | Wrestling Mat and Gear | $12,000 |
| SMFB Foundation Iuka, KS | General Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Pratt Regional Medical Center Pratt, KS | General Unrestricted | $9,014 |
| Cornell Botanic Gardens Ithaca, NY | General Unrestricted | $8,900 |
| USD 237 Smith Center Smith Center, KS | Educational | $8,565 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $12,915,110 | $1,759,059 | $596,050 | $389,933 | 11 | $567,151 |
| 2024 | $11,741,745 | $2,416,251 | $454,064 | $238,133 | 12 | $433,289 |
| 2023 | $9,779,558 | $1,456,916 | $314,581 | $121,827 | 9 | $346,625 |
| 2022 | $8,637,223 | $5,438,766 | $148,593 | $62,609 | 4 | $141,450 |
| 2021 | $3,347,050 | $905,701 | $319,870 | $97,620 | 10 | $143,140 |
| 2020 | $2,761,219 | $575,374 | $104,307 | $26,386 | 4 | $77,930 |
| 2018 | $1,377,986 | $316,903 | $29,457 | $6,387 | Total only | $18,781 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is “to establish and operate a charitable and educational organization for use by people to carry out their charitable and educational desires.” Its filing also identifies restoration and maintenance of the Home on the Range cabin and associated events as a program.
Its 2025 grants show support for community projects, education, health care, youth activities, and arts and cultural facilities. Among the grantees, the SMFB Foundation says its mission is to provide program supplies for Boy and Cub Scouts in a five-county area. Pratt Regional Medical Center says its mission is to operate a medical system serving people with physical illness, disease, injury, or deformity in Pratt County and adjacent areas. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $389,933. Grant amounts ranged from $7,000 to $185,490, with a median of $12,000.
The largest award was $185,490 to the City of Pratt for point pavilion and green trails projects. Other notable grants included $50,500 to Smith County Community Foundation for a training facility and general unrestricted purposes; $50,000 to Osborne County Fair Board for general unrestricted purposes; $25,485 to The Roy & Elsie Blythe Foundation for general unrestricted purposes; and $22,979 to Pratt Community College for education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Zach Deeds as president; Nicole Curtis and Janel Burch as vice-presidents; Alex Smith as treasurer; and Mark McClain, Thad Henry, Anne Loomis, Kaylene Heller, Mark Watts, and Caitlin Hayse as board members.
The Peoples Heartland Foundation is led by Zach Deeds, President on the 2025 filing; none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Zach Deeds
President
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anne Loomis
Board Member
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lindsay Cox
Secretary
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark McClain
Board Member
President → Previous President, 2023
Previous President → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Watts
Board Member
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thad Henry
Board Member
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alex Smith
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kaylene Heller
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Curtis
Vice President
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Caitlin Hayse
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Janel Burch
Vice President
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Ernest H. Richardson (2023–2024) — President
- Former: Lori Bortz (2024) — Vice President
- Former: Ernie Richardson (2018–2022) — Vice President
- Former: Joni Wolters (2018–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Troy Lorenzen (2018–2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about The Peoples Heartland Foundation
How much does The Peoples Heartland Foundation give each year?
The Peoples Heartland Foundation gave $390K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $238K across 12 grants.
What is The Peoples Heartland Foundation's typical grant size?
The Peoples Heartland Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $12,000, and its average grant was $35,448, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Peoples Heartland Foundation that year got $20K on average.
Where does The Peoples Heartland Foundation give grants?
The Peoples Heartland Foundation gives mostly in Kansas: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Pratt, KS (5 grants) and Smith Center, KS (2 grants).
Does The Peoples Heartland Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 55% of The Peoples Heartland Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are The Peoples Heartland Foundation's largest grantees?
The Peoples Heartland Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include City of Pratt ($185,490), Smith County Community Foundation ($50,500) and Osborne County Fair Board ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Peoples Heartland Foundation?
The Peoples Heartland Foundation reported $12.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.8M.
What does The Peoples Heartland Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is “to establish and operate a charitable and educational organization for use by people to carry out their charitable and educational desires.” Its filing also identifies restoration and maintenance of the Home on the Range cabin and associated events as a program. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Peoples Heartland Foundation?
No application process or policy on unsolicited requests is stated in the available information. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Peoples Heartland Foundation's EIN?
The Peoples Heartland Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-2532001. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 19, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 20, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS April 28, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2018–2024
Live grants for the work The Peoples Heartland Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Peoples Heartland Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-peoples-heartland-foundation-morg_b82eea823d094f9fa4d083b18ac5f31c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_452532001_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Peoples Heartland Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-peoples-heartland-foundation-morg_b82eea823d094f9fa4d083b18ac5f31c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 The Peoples Heartland 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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