SPEARFISH, SD – A new option to donate to the Spearfish Community Foundation is now available.
The Spearfish City Council approved a cooperative donation effort on November 1 to allow residents to donate to the foundation, which allocates funds to communitywide nonprofit and charitable organizations in Spearfish, through the City website and utility bills.
To utilize this option, residents can fill out this form on the City website which gives them the choice of giving a onetime donation, which will redirect them to the Spearfish Community Foundation’s webpage where they can make a donation directly. They may also choose a reoccurring donation, which allows them to choose a flat dollar amount that would be added to their monthly utility bill. These donations would be collected with utility payments and then remitted to the foundation. At the start of the new year, the donors would receive letters indicating the total amount of their donations given to the foundation the previous year.
The foundation, formed in 1998, allocates funds through a grant request and selection process that takes place in the late fall. During the latest funding cycle, 40 applications were received, with 20 grants awarded, averaging between $30,000 and $40,000 in total grants each cycle. The foundation is moving to a model in which they would award two to three grants annually to have a larger impact on the community.
“We are excited to partner with the City to offer this donation option to residents,” Sue Konstant, Spearfish Community Foundation president, said. “We encourage people to check out the donation option and help us award larger grants to make a bigger community impact and address community needs, not only now, but for the future and future generations.”
She explained that grants for potential future projects and programs in the Spearfish community would focus on, but not be limited to, health and human services, senior citizens, recreation, community beautification, arts and culture, and public safety. All grant recommendations must meet the approval of the South Dakota Community Foundation before distribution takes place.
More information about the Spearfish Community Foundation is available on its website.