Perkins County Community Foundation Fund coming up on 20-year anniversary

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series on the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund’s 20th Anniversary

The year 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund, PCCFF. The Fund was established in December, 2003, as an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation, NCF, which has existed for 25 years. Becky Uehling was instrumental in organizing the Fund with the assistance of Jana Jensen, development coordinator for NCF.

Uehling wanted to see Perkins County communities grow and prosper. After attending an NCF informational meeting in Paxton in 2003, arranged by Jensen, the Fund took off from there. 

“I saw what Jana and the rest of the NCF family were doing across the state and I wanted to bring it to Perkins County,” Uehling said. “What was brought back to Perkins County from that meeting was a vision for Perkins County to develop a vehicle to help retain our generational wealth here in the county to help sustain the home we love well into the future.”

Uehling recruited individuals from Venango, Grant, Madrid and Elsie to serve on the first Fund Advisory Committee, FAC. The first members were Uehling, Jeff Wallin, Debbie Osler, Nicole Long, Janet Lagler, Doug Sexson, Don Softley, Jan Schilling, and Michelle Ross. The first FAC meeting was held on December 9, 2003 at the Hastings Memorial Library in Grant. Uehling, Wallin, Lagler and Ross have continued on the FAC for the 20 years of the Fund’s operations. 

In 2003 the decision was made to partner with the Nebraska Community Foundation. Uehling said that although the decision was not unanimous among the committee, the choice, in her opinion, has served the fund well over the years.

“There has been no better partner in this effort across the state to sustain our counties and communities,” she said.

NCF manages some $113 million in endowed assets for 158 “community based affiliated funds” in Nebraska, like PCCFF, according to the most recent NCF annual report. 

Uehling said NCF provides exceptional educational and networking opportunities for fund advisory committees. 

In the early years of the Fund, NCF arranged for a grant of $25,000 by the Hunt family to challenge Perkins County residents to raise an additional $75,000 by December, 2007. This was accomplished, providing $100,000 to the endowment account. A similar effort was repeated by the Hunt family to raise another $100,000 for the endowment during 2008 and 2009.

NCF manages the endowment funds of the local Fund, providing annual “payouts” to support local community projects. Some of the first funded community projects from the endowment “payout” included support for a generator for the Village of Madrid, Christmas lights for the Village of Elsie, Venango Day and Perkins County Youth Council. In 2008, the Fund started its first subaccount to receive funds for the Eagle Scout project of Todd Ford, a veteran’s memorial in the Grant City Park.

Throughout 2023, the FAC members will provide additional columns concerning our 20-years of existence in the county. Please continue to watch the Tribune-Sentinel for these articles. 

The author is Treasurer of the Fund Advisory Committee of the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund. PCCFF has a vision of “vibrant communities and a high quality of life” for the County. Government and nonprofit entities can apply for grant funding from the Fund. The PCCFF is a nonprofit 501c3 affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation.