Share your voice. Strengthen your community.
Learn about our Thriving Communities Initiative.
BLACK HILLS RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO VOTE FOR A CAUSE.
We’ve identified four important issues that need more support in the Black Hills. Vote for the cause that resonates with you, and share why it’s important to your community.
Throughout 2026 and 2027, we will invest at least $200,000 in the focus area that you helped choose. Along the way, we will bring community members together to connect and learn.
Vote for a cause,
share why it matters.
The anonymous survey closes on May 31, 2026.
2026 Timeline of Initiative
SPRING: Vote
Vote for a cause by the end of May 2026.
SUMMER: Stay Tuned
Follow our Facebook to stay updated and learn about the community's chosen cause.
FALL: Celebrate Nonprofits
In October of 2026, BHACF will award its first round of grants to regional nonprofits actively working on the issue area. In 2027, we will invest in a second round of grants and community building activities.
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."
Focus Areas in the
2026 Survey
We will focus on the community’s selected issue through 2027! In 2028, leftover issue areas will be recycled in a new survey. New causes are added based on the previous year’s survey responses and community input.
Community information
A healthy community is built on trusted sources of place-based knowledge. When we understand local issues, history, and culture, we can work together to strengthen our region. Your vote would support libraries, museums, and news organizations that keep Black Hills residents informed, connected, and engaged in the community they share.
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.
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.
Past Thriving Communities Causes
BHACF launched the Thriving Communities Initiative in 2024. Starting in 2026, Thriving Communities is a two-year Initiative.
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.
2025 Cause: Youth Mental Wellness
In 2025, over 500 Black Hills residents voted in our survey. “Youth Mental Wellness” received 45% of the votes, with over 70 residents submitting additional thoughts.
Community members wrote that youth mental health services need more resources to meet the demand. They said prevention services are critical, and learning coping skills can make a big difference.
Survey responses also emphasized that open conversations about mental health reduce stigma and help young people feel more comfortable seeking support.
BHACF and giving circle members directed $145,000 in grants to nine nonprofits.
West River Mental Health: Supports a pilot summer wellness camp and regional mental health awareness campaign.
Lost & Found: Supports resilience training, education, and mentoring services for college students across western South Dakota.
Oyate Teca Project: Supports the Youth Teen Center in Kyle, a safe space for Native youth to receive culturally responsive wellness services.
The Helpline Center: Supports the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s operations in western South Dakota, which provides 24/7 crisis and prevention services.
WellFully: Supports trauma-informed programming such as therapeutic art. The grant will also help customize an adolescent recovery unit to meet the specialized needs of those in their care.
Lawrence County Coalition: Supports school-based prevention programs focused on youth engagement, resilience, and early intervention for mental health conditions.
Boys & Girls Club of the Black Hills: Supports quality programs and lifelong learning skills that enable all young people to reach their full potential.
Family Services Connection: Supports programs that empower at-risk and homeless youth and young adults, families, and survivors by providing housing, supportive services, and access to mental health services.
Wambli Ska Teen Center: Supports a safe, supportive space where Native youth reconnect with their purpose and build self-determination allowing them to strive for a life of healing, health, and wellness.
Give to Thriving Communities
Help us support a meaningful cause selected by people who know and love the Black Hills.
Your gift will go straight to nonprofits growing positive change in the community’s selected issue area.
Thriving Communities Initiative News
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.