Black Hills Area Community Foundation (BHACF) has awarded $125,000 to Black Hills nonprofits that care for outdoor spaces or promote recreation across the region. These grants respond to community input from BHACF’s first annual Thriving Communities Initiative. Earlier this summer, Black Hills residents voted online for a cause to receive BHACF’s support. Out of four causes, the residents selected “Beautiful Black Hills,” or to “invest in outdoor spaces.”
The community’s input showed an interest in maintaining outdoor spaces and activities for future generations. Many survey responses emphasized the family, community and wellness benefits of outdoor recreation. A combination of private donations, along with dividends from BHACF’s investments, funded the grants. BHACF awarded a custom grant to each nonprofit to serve their specialized needs.
“The Thriving Communities Initiative gives us an impactful way to learn from our community every year. We were truly inspired by the engagement we saw this summer, and we’re thrilled to respond by directing funding to this meaningful cause.” said Chris Huber, CEO of BHACF.
The 10 grantees listed below received a Beautiful Black Hills grant.
- Black Hills Trails: Supports construction and maintenance on the Centennial Trail.
- Black Hills Bike Hub: Supports strategic planning and operational expenses.
- Hanson-Larsen Memorial Park: Supports updated wayfinding signage along the trail.
- Black Hills Parks and Forests Association: Supports interpretive installations at state and federal parks.
- Booth Society, Inc: Supports the Junior Ranger Program and updated educational signage.
- The Nature Conservancy: Supports a stewardship project in the Southern Hills.
- Pathways Spiritual Sanctuary: Supports the maintenance of Pathways Spiritual Sanctuary.
- Black Hills Environmental Coalition: Supports a collaborative projects pool, designed to help nonprofits collaborate on natural spaces projects.
- Casting for Recovery: Supports a fly-fishing retreat for women affected by breast cancer.
- Casting Vets: Supports three ice fishing retreats for veterans in the Black Hills.
Based on the community’s interest in Beautiful Black Hills, BHACF will ensure that donors can continue to support this cause into the future. Interested donors can visit with BHACF’s Giving Team to learn how to contribute in a way that aligns with their passions and interests.
The next annual Thriving Communities survey will open in the spring of 2025 on BHACF’s website. It will allow community members to vote for a new cause to receive at least $100,000 in grants next year. To learn more, please visit www.bhacf.org/thriving-communities.