Our History

The Smoky Valley Community Foundation was founded on July 23, 2002, to serve as a vehicle for charitable giving benefiting communities in the Smoky Valley area, including northern McPherson County and southern Saline County. The Foundation is a permanent source of charitable assets to meet both emerging and existing needs of the local communities.

The Foundation believes that as a community we are stronger than we are as individuals. This belief is reflected in our rope logo.

“The idea of a rope– individual fibers braided together to make a stronger whole– inspired this design. The same principle applies in a community: many individuals and groups working together to do what cannot be done alone. The Community Foundation provides a ‘rope’ for this area, enabling projects and furthering creative ideas that might unravel without community help and support.”
– Pamela Harris, Designer

The Smoky Valley Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Greater Salina Community Foundation in Salina, Kansas. The Greater Salina Community Foundation was established in 1999 and is led by executive director Jessica Martin. Currently, the Greater Salina Community Foundation hosts 14 regional affiliate foundations and has more than $200 million in assets, including its affiliate assets.