Furthering its commitment to building a stronger, more sustainable nonprofit sector, Sunflower Foundation has awarded nearly $54,000 to 11 Kansas organizations to help them drive donor growth.
From the first contact with prospective donors, to cultivating relationships, to securing long-term partnerships, donor development is critical to a nonprofit’s success. However, many organizations lack the resources to strategically manage this process. Sunflower’s donor development accelerator grants provided funds for nonprofits looking to create, test, or implement strategies for cultivating philanthropic support.
Findings in The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s State of Nonprofits 2026 report point to challenging times for nonprofits, with 66 percent of CEOs surveyed citing concerns about their organization’s financial stability.
“Knowing that our nonprofit partners are facing challenging financial outlooks, we viewed these grants as an opportunity to help them diversify their funding and build a broader network of supporters,” said Carlie Houchen, Sunflower’s director of Health Systems.
The following organizations received grants, which were capped at $5,000:
• CASA of the High Plains, Hays, $5,000
• Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kansas, Wichita, $5,000
• Climate and Energy Project, Kansas City, Kan. $5,000
• Full Circle Sustainability, Topeka, $4,800
• HealthCore Clinic, Wichita, $5,000
• Immunize Kansas Coalition, Topeka, $5,000
• Kansas Land Trust, Lawrence, $5,000
• Kansas Rural Center, North Newton, $4,998
• Kansas Sampler Foundation, Inman, $4,165
• Sunlight Children’s Services, El Dorado, $5,000
• The Building Community, Fredonia, $5,000
The grant program was open to eligible organizations that participated in The Dynamics of Donor Development virtual learning series, a free learning opportunity offered earlier this year by Sunflower and its partners. The series included sessions on creating a culture of philanthropy, making your organization’s case for support, donor advised funds, discovery conversations, corporate giving, and prospective donor research. Subsequent grant funds provided support to organizations wanting to develop and implement strategies gleaned from the learning series.
Grantees are working on projects that include:
• engaging new donors;
• using storytelling to connect prospective donors to their organization’s work;
• using data to understand their donors;
• improving their donor relationship management approaches.
“Knowledge creates possibility, but resources create momentum. Intentionally pairing curated learning with implementation funding helps organizations move from ideas to action,” said Kelli Mark, Sunflower’s director of Healthy Communities. “This investment equips nonprofits with the tools they need to cultivate stronger donor relationships and build a more sustainable future.”
A total of 867 individuals from 183 organizations registered for the donor development virtual learning series, with 27 organizations applying for accelerator grants.