Letter: Foundation funding

To the editor:

Your Sept. 15 editorial titled “Rural boost” presented the Kansas Sampler Foundation’s campaign to raise funds for rural projects as innovative. In fact, Kansas community foundations have been providing vehicles for donors to support rural communities for decades.

In 2013, the 81 community foundations that are members of the Kansas Association of Community Foundations held over $2.9 billion in assets and invested $279 million in their local communities. The large majority of these foundations operate in rural communities and support grassroots projects.

Community foundations have deep roots in their hometowns and broad expertise regarding local issues and needs. They build endowments that benefit towns and rural areas long after kickstarter-type campaigns have come and gone. If readers want to invest in rural projects, I would encourage them to explore Kansas community foundations.