Hutchinson Community Foundation to host grant writing workshop for local nonprofits

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community Foundation will host a hands-on grant writing workshop for staff and board members of Reno County nonprofits on April 23 as part of its Nonprofit Strength Initiative.

The free workshop, "Grant Identification and Writing Best Practices," will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at Dillon Nature Center. Senior Program Officer Jan Steen will lead the session.

The workshop is part of a broader series through which the foundation aims to strengthen Reno County's nonprofit sector by providing opportunities for professional development, peer learning and connection with regional leaders. Each session is designed not only to build skills but also to create space for organizations to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships and explore new approaches to common challenges.

Steen brings nearly 15 years of experience working with communities and nonprofits across Kansas. In a previous role with K-State Research and Extension, he taught workshops on funding searches and grant writing, helped local organizations secure more than $1.8 million in outside funding, and served on a statewide grant review and management team with the Kansas PRIDE community improvement initiative. He continues that work at Hutch CF through grant searches, application reviews, resource connections and capacity-building workshops.

The April 23 session is designed to help participants identify funding opportunities and develop stronger grant proposals. Topics will include crafting compelling problem statements, aligning project goals with budgets using logic models and other planning tools, and strategies for communicating organizational impact to potential funders.

Attendees will have the opportunity to share experiences and discuss common grant writing challenges with peers from other community-based organizations. The foundation encourages two representatives from each organization to attend together for shared learning.

Participants are asked to bring a laptop or tablet to follow along and apply concepts during the workshop.

Attendees can expect to leave with strategies for identifying relevant grant opportunities, practical tips for writing clear problem statements, a working understanding of logic models, guidance on developing realistic project budgets and new peer connections across Reno County's nonprofit community.

Space is limited. Registration is required by April 20 at hutchcf.org.