Share your voice. Strengthen your community.
Learn about our annual Thriving Communities Initiative.
Sections:
ABOUT THRIVING COMMUNITIES
Thriving Communities empowers Black Hills residents to select an annual cause to benefit from at least $100,000 in nonprofit grants.
In the spring of 2025, “Youth Mental Wellness” received our community’s popular vote! Our team is researching impactful nonprofits across the Black Hills region. We will announce Youth Mental Wellness Grants in the fall of 2025!
If you are passionate about Youth Mental Wellness, donate to increase this year’s grantmaking pool!
What’s Next?
SPRING: Vote
Vote for a cause by the end of May 2025.
SUMMER: Stay Tuned
Follow our Facebook to stay updated and learn about the community's chosen cause.
FALL-WINTER: Celebrate
Nonprofits working on the community's selected cause will collectively receive at least $100,000 in grants.
Issue Areas in the
2025 Survey
Issue areas that were not selected will reappear in the next year’s survey.
2025 CAUSE: YOUTH MENTAL WELLNESS
Many young people struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. With quality support, youths can build the resilience needed to face these challenges and thrive. Your vote would support nonprofits dedicated to strengthening the mental wellness, healthy development, and overall wellbeing of our youth.
QUALITY CARE FOR elders
Elders enrich our community with deep wisdom drawn from diverse life experiences. In turn, they benefit from quality care that helps them enjoy their stage of life with health and ease. Your vote would support nonprofits that care for our senior generation by promoting health and wellness, cultivating connections, and fulfilling basic needs.
ARTS FOR ALL
The Black Hills has a long history of bringing people together around artistic events and workshops. These gatherings build strong connections across generations, skillsets and backgrounds. Your vote would support nonprofits that cultivate community and expand access to the arts through gatherings such as concerts, festivals, and creative workshops in all types of art forms.
CHILDCARE FOR HEALTHY FAMILIES
Access to quality childcare strengthens our workforce and reinforces the wellbeing of parents, grandparents, and children. However, many guardians struggle to afford childcare, while providers struggle to cover the costs needed to keep their doors open. Your vote would support nonprofit childcare providers, filling gaps needed to keep quality childcare available to families.
From Our Community
The responses below were anonymously submitted through the Thriving Communities 2025 survey for the winning cause, “Youth Mental Wellness.”
Black Hills Resident
“Youth mental health is drastically underserved in our community. If we help youth, we help our future adults, our future families, our future workforce, our future humans who will impact the next generations."
Mother of teenagers
“Our youth are struggling and many of those youth are afraid to share their struggles with loved ones. There is this perception that they could be flawed or something is wrong with them, when in reality they are experiencing normal things.”
Local law enforcement officer
“I'm a law enforcement officer who sees the dire need for powerful mentorship in our community. One, to help the child be a contributing member of society but also to break the generational cycle.”
Rapid City Resident
“This cause is important to me because I went through school being bullied. I developed depression and anxiety in my high school years and into college. Mental health access for young people is so important in helping build stronger communities."
Past Thriving Communities Causes
We launched the annual initiative in 2024.
2024 Cause: Beautiful Black Hills
In 2024, Black Hills residents voted to support “Beautiful Black Hills.” This issue area focuses on caring for the outdoor spaces that make the Black Hills such a wonderful place to live.
With the support of private donations, BHACF directed $125,000 in grants to 10 nonprofits. The 2024 grantees are listed below.
• 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 signage along the trail.
• Black Hills Parks and Forests Association: Supports interpretive art installations at state and federal parks.
• Booth Society, Inc: Supports the Junior Ranger Program and updated signage.
• The Nature Conservancy: Supports a stewardship project in the Southern Hills.
• Pathways Spiritual Sanctuary: Supports upkeep of Pathways Sanctuary.
• Black Hills Environmental Coalition: Supports a projects pool, where organizations can collaborate on outdoor spaces work together.
• 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.
Stay updated on Thriving Communities and other initiatives
Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to learn the latest news and updates from the Black Hills Area Community Foundation.
Let’s create a thriving Black Hills together.
Give to Thriving Communities
Help us support a meaningful cause selected by people who know and love the Black Hills.
At the end of the year, your gift will go straight to nonprofits growing positive change in the community’s selected issue area.
In 2025, all donations will go directly to nonprofits addressing youth mental wellness across the region.
Have questions? Connect with Carrie.
Carrie Robley, Director of Community Impact, manages the Thriving Communities Initiative. She’s happy to answer your questions or share ways to partner with us.