2020 Elm Acres Foundation Grant Applications Now Available [Update: Closed]

Last updated July 29, 2021

The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK) is pleased to announce that the 2020 Elm Acres Foundation At-Risk Youth grant application is now available through May 11, 2020. The Elm Acres Foundation provides grants for nonprofit programs and services for at-risk youth. This year’s grant application can be found on the Elm Acres Foundation page of our website and is due by May 11, 2020.

Keep reading to learn more about Elm Acres Foundation At-Risk Youth grants.

What is the Elm Acres Foundation?

The purpose of the Elm Acres Foundation, Inc. is to provide support to at-risk youth in the Southeast Kansas community (Crawford, Cherokee and Labette Counties), including supporting any entities that provide services for at-risk youth.

What are Elm Acres Foundation At-Risk Youth grants?

Since 2017, the Elm Acres Foundation has provided an annual grant cycle for programs and services for at-risk youth through the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas. In 2019, the Elm Acres Foundation awarded $19,387 to six organizations, with the amount of each grant ranging from $3,000 to $6,205.

The Elm Acres Foundation is interested in new, sustainable projects. Preference will be given to projects that will continue to sustain themselves once funding has been received or are one-time projects, and that have not been submitted to the Elm Acres Foundation previously.

The Elm Acres Foundation does not fund salaries or Capital Improvement Projects, defined as a permanent structural change or the restoration of some aspect of a property.

Past projects that received a grant from the Elm Acres Foundation include:

  • Special Olympics Kansas sponsored “Unified Bocce for Southeast Kansas,” which allowed bocce teams to be established in SEK high schools allowing for adaptive physical involvement.
  • The Family Resource Center funded the Crawford County Diaper Stock project to provide diapers and wipes for low-income families with infants and toddlers in Crawford County.
  • Wesley House provided career development for students or job-seekers with disabilities.
  • Ronald McDonald House of the Four States developed a Teen Parent Resource Library for teenage parents with materials on parenting and life skills.
  • The Partnership for All Cherokee County Children assisted at-risk middle- and high-school-aged youth in state custody or foster care with the purchase of items needed to participate in extracurricular school activites and graduation.

For a full list of 2019 grant recipients, see our Elm Acres Foundation page.

Who can apply for Elm Acres Foundation grants?

Elm Acres Foundation grants are only available for 501(c)(3) organizations, educational institutions, units of government, and religious organizations. If you’re uncertain whether your group or organization is eligible for a grant from the Elm Acres Foundation, please contact us for help.

How to apply for an Elm Acres Foundation At-Risk Youth grant

To apply for an Elm Acres Foundation grant, download the grant application (downloads Word document) from our website (UPDATE May 12, 2020: no longer available). Because our office is temporarily closed, once you’ve completed the application, return it to CFSEK via email to Sherri Stephens. Your application should be typed and should include:

  • Proof of nonprofit status if not already on file with CFSEK;
  • Your organization’s mission statement; and
  • A list of your organization’s Board of Directors.

Applications must be returned to CFSEK by May 11, 2020.