Opportunity Overview
Open now. The Emporia Community Foundation (ECF) is accepting applications for its 2026 ECF Grants. The program supports innovative and creative projects and programs responsive to changing community needs in health, social service, education, recreation, and cultural affairs across the Emporia-area service region. ECF states a preference for requests that are not directly tax-supported or from agencies without taxing authority.
Funding and Deadline
Applications are accepted from September 1 through September 30, 2026 and are due by September 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM. The controlling ECF materials do not separately state a time zone. Current public materials do not establish a universal per-award maximum or total funding pool, so applicants should build a project-specific request supported by the required budget rather than assume an award ceiling.
Geography and Application Requirements
ECF serves Lyon, Chase, Greenwood, Morris, Osage, Coffey, and Wabaunsee counties. The current application asks applicants to identify impacted counties and requires an organization name, Tax ID/FEIN, contact information, requested amount, project and organization budget percentages, and whether the request supports a new or existing program.
The application checklist requires a project budget, organization budget, list of officers and board members, the most recent annual report and financial statement, investments and endowed funds, and a letter of support when the applicant is providing a program or service for another entity such as a public school. The application also requests a concise project description, organizational mission, need, people served, resources and partners, measures of success, sustainability, timeline, and other funding sources.
Submission
The completed proposal is submitted to the Emporia Community Foundation by the published September 30 deadline. Applicants should use the Foundation’s current application and follow its stated submission instructions. Questions may be directed to ECF at 620-342-9304 or emporiacf@emporiacf.org.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 84/100. This is a strong locally controlled opportunity because health is an expressly supported funding area and the application can accommodate a defined community-health project with measurable impact. The absence of a published universal award ceiling means project scope should be calibrated to demonstrated local need and ECF’s modest-grant context.
N9+ Fit: 62/100 conditional. Nonagon N9+ may be relevant only where an eligible applicant proposes a genuine health-access project in which remote physical examination, guided examinations, vitals, or telehealth-enabled clinical encounters materially advance the funded objective, and only after ECF confirms that the relevant technology, platform, implementation, training, or service costs are allowable. Dr. Miltie is not being advanced as the direct applicant.
Recommended Next Action
An eligible local organization should define the specific community need and target population, confirm the applicable ECF geography, prepare the required project and organization budgets and governance/financial materials, secure any needed partner letter of support, verify the allowability of proposed technology or professional-service costs, and submit the current application by September 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
Official source: Emporia Community Foundation — Available Grants.