Kearney Area Community Foundation

What Kearney Area Community Foundation does

The Kearney Area Community Foundation (KACF) is an independent 501(c)(3) community foundation established in 1995 in Kearney, Nebraska, serving Buffalo County and surrounding communities. It manages over 160 funds, including 69 scholarship funds, donor advised funds, designated funds, agency funds, and field-of-interest funds, providing philanthropic infrastructure that connects individual, family, and corporate donors with local charitable causes, nonprofits, and student recipients. The foundation operates a portfolio of grant programs (Building for Tomorrow Grants up to $20,000, Arthur Klinkacek Community Enrichment Grants, Community Critical Needs Grants of $1,000-$10,000, and Ted Baldwin Donor Advised Fund Grants) and runs the annual Give Where You Live 24-hour community fundraising event, which has raised over $13.5 million since 2013.

KACF's business model is donation-based: it receives charitable contributions in cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, and other assets, manages endowment and pass-through funds, and distributes grants and scholarships under donor advisory direction. It runs the Stakeholder Program ($50-$999 annually) and the Edison Society ($1,000+ with three tiers) for recurring donor recognition, and provides back-office services to affiliate funds such as the dissolved Theodore G. Baldwin Foundation. The organization is led by a five-person staff under President/CEO Judi Sickler, governed by a 16-member board of directors, and certified under the Council on Foundations' National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations (2023). Technology is non-proprietary: KACF relies on Foundant for grant application management and fcsuite.com for fund management and donor transactions, supplemented by a Wix-hosted website and standard email/social media channels. Since inception, KACF has distributed over $97 million to the community, including $11 million in 2025 against $14.2 million in gifts and grants received.

Name

Kearney Area Community Foundation

Legal name

Kearney Area Community Foundation

Website

https://kearneyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Kearney Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation in Kearney, Nebraska that manages 160+ charitable funds, multi-program grantmaking, and 69 scholarship funds to connect local donors with area nonprofits and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund management
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Scholarship administration
• Donor advised funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Kearney

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions and Donations: The organization receives charitable donations from individuals, families, businesses, and foundations who establish named funds or contribute to existing funds. Total gifts and grants received in 2025 were $14.2 million.
2. Fund Management Services: Manages over 160 funds including designated funds, donor advised funds, scholarship funds, agency funds, and unrestricted funds for the community. Provides back-office services for affiliate funds.
3. Stakeholder and Edison Society Memberships: Annual giving programs at multiple tiers: Edison Society ($1,000+), Activist ($500-999), Achiever ($250-499), Promoter ($100-249), Contributor ($50-99).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Kearney Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that manages over 160 charitable funds and 69 scholarship funds for the Kearney area and Buffalo County, Nebraska. It provides structured charitable giving vehicles (donor advised, designated, scholarship, agency, and unrestricted funds), administers four distinct grant programs for local nonprofits, distributes scholarships to area students, and delivers donor recognition and community engagement programs including the annual Give Where You Live campaign.

Product overview

The Kearney Area Community Foundation operates as a community foundation offering a portfolio of philanthropic products and services. Core offerings include scholarship management (69 scholarship funds with a universal application system) and four distinct grant programs: Building for Tomorrow Grants (up to $20,000 for nonprofits), Arthur Klinkacek Community Enrichment Grants (established from a $2M+ estate gift), Community Critical Needs Grants ($1,000-$10,000 emergency funding), and Ted Baldwin Donor Advised Fund Grants. The Foundation hosts Give Where You Live, an annual 24-hour giving event raising over $13.5 million since 2013. Additional services include donor recognition through the Edison Society (three giving tiers), the Stakeholder Program, a Fund Advisor Portal for managing fund information, and the Community Collaboration Space providing meeting facilities for nonprofits. The organization also facilitates Donor Advised Funds, designated funds, field of interest funds, and various planned giving vehicles including bequests, charitable remainder trusts, and gifts of appreciated stock or real estate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Give Where You Live: A 24-hour fundraising event created to rally community support for local charitable causes, organized by the Kearney Area Community Foundation since 2013.
• Community Collaboration Space
• The Nonprofit Exchange
• Giving for Good
• Edison Society

Products and services

• Scholarship Program Manages 69 scholarship funds through a universal application system allowing students to fill out one application to determine eligibility across multiple scholarships; includes paper applications and nomination-based scholarships for select awards.
• Building for Tomorrow Grants Grant program for Kearney area nonprofits with awards typically up to $20,000; applications accepted biannually with Letter of Intent (LOI) required 15 days before the February 15 or August 15 deadline.
• Arthur Klinkacek Community Enrichment Grants Grant program funded by a $2 million+ estate gift from Arthur E. Klinkacek supporting youth scholarships and community preservation/enrichment projects; applications accepted April 15 or October 15 with LOI required.
• Community Critical Needs Grants Emergency grant program for Buffalo County nonprofits responding to critical needs in housing, food, health, and transportation; grants typically between $1,000 and $10,000, accepted on a rolling case-by-case basis.
• Ted Baldwin Donor Advised Fund Grants Grant program established from the Theodore G. Baldwin Foundation assets (over $5 million in grants historically awarded); applications due September 30 with awards announced in early December.
• Donor Advised Funds Charitable giving fund allowing donors to make a gift to the community foundation and remain actively involved in recommending grant uses; donors advise on distributions while KACF handles administrative and investment management duties.
• Edison Society Donor recognition society for gifts of $1,000 or more, including Platinum Level ($5,000+), Gold Level ($2,500-$4,999), and Silver Level ($1,000-$2,499) tiers with recognition and stakeholder benefits.
• Stakeholder Program Annual giving program supporting the Foundation's operations, with tiers including Contributor ($50-99), Promoter ($100-249), Achiever ($250-499), Activist ($500-999), and Edison Society ($1,000+); includes recognition and priority event reservations.

Quantifiable outcome

• $97+ million distributed to community since 1995
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Theodore G. Baldwin FoundationmajorOthers · 1 January 2019In 2019, the Baldwin family dissolved their private foundation and chose KACF to manage its assets. The Ted Baldwin Donor Advised Fund was established, with over $5 million in grants awarded to local nonprofits through the original foundation since 1983. KACF now handles management, reporting, and oversight.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KearneyGives
• Facebookfacebook.com/Kearney-Area-Community-Foundation-118780074843224
• Instagraminstagram.com/kearneygives
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kearney-area-community-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kearney Area Community Foundation