The Robert and Jeanette Hunt Community Fund has been established to make available a number of challenge grants of up to $50,000 per community , in conjunction with the Nebraska Community Foundation. These challenge grants are intended to build endowments within communities served by Great Plains Communications, Inc. The purpose of the challenge grants and the endowments is to support long-term community development and community-sustainability activities, as opposed to supporting “brick and mortar” building projects.

These challenge grants must be matched by the participating communities on at least a 3-1 basis within a three-year timeframe. Once the endowments are established, the proceeds from these endowments will be used.to fund community development efforts, which ideally will lead to community population growth, job creation, additional wealth retention and ongoing local leadership capacity.

These efforts may include support for local entrepreneurs who are starting, growing or transitioning businesses; strategies to engage youth or support youth retention; programs to develop local leadership and strengthen community capacity, including workforce development; and educational efforts intended to create an awareness of the need for additional contributions to the local community foundation.

The terms of the grant include an initial challenge grant of $25,000, which is to be matched by generation of $75,000 from donors in the community within a one-year period. The Robert and Jeanette Hunt Community Fund will also award an additional $5,000 for every increment of $15,000 raised from donors in the community, during a three-year period, up to $25,000. The goal is to have a total contribution from the Robert and Jeanette Hunt Community Fund of $50,000 and a local match of $150,000.

The result will be an endowment for the community of at least of $200,000 . Proceeds from endowments that size are expected to generate approximately $10,000. This amount would be made available annually for grant-making purposes for the local community-building efforts described above.

For More Information, info@imperialfoundation.org, 308-882-4453 or contact any board member.