Huron Community Foundation

What is the Huron Community Foundation?

Huron Community Foundation (HCF) is a tax-exempt organization formed in April 2004 to create a community savings account which will grow and benefit everyone in Huron for generations to come.

HCF offers donors many opportunities to grow the fund through various fundraising events, as well as, one-time contributions, multi-year pledges, estate planning, and gifts of assets such as stock, real estate, or life insurance. The funds are deposited with the SDCF which invests the dollars and returns earnings to the Huron Community Foundation for grant distributions.

Named Fund Option under the umbrella of the Huron Community Foundation

Individuals, families, and organizations can establish their own named fund under the umbrella of HCF with the minimum of a $100,000 deposit. Currently there are several named funds that are a lasting legacy to these donors. Donations can be made to any named fund by any donor by contacting HCF.

Established named funds can recommend to HCF of their desire for future grants.

Applications for Huron Community Foundation grants are accepted January 1-February 1 each year. The HCF Grant application is available by using the link below. The guidelines help applicants understand HCF’s granting priorities and process. More information is available by contacting a HCF board member or by emailing hcf@huronsd.com.

If your organization is an IRS verified organization and has a non-profit Federal Tax ID Number, your organization may be able to receive a direct HCF grant distribution.

Organizations that are awarded grants must complete a brief "Grant Review Form" within 60 days after expenditure of grant funds. A link to that form is below. Failure to submit the Grant Review Form may negatively impact future grant applications.

Please download and save the grant application to your computer and fill it out completely. Email the HCF Grant Application to hcf@huronsd.com.

Applications must be RECEIVED via email not later than February 1st. Grant applicants will be notified of application status in March. The HCF is not responsible for lost, delayed, or misdirected applications.

• Grant Application Link
• Grant Guidelines Link

WINGS Foundation website and grant application here.

The Entwisle Family Fund was established by retired Huron business owners Bob and Emily Entwisle. An initial donation of $250,000 to the HCF was used to establish the Fund. In addition to their initial gift, the Entwisles also set up a trust that will be added to the Entwisle Family Fund at a later date.

The Foundation is honored that the Entwisle family has recognized the work of the HCF and will be making an everlasting impact on improving the Huron community through their donation. The fund is permanently endowed within the HCF, with interest earnings distributed annually with guidance from the Entwisle family.

Bob and Emily Entwisle are well known Huron area business owners, having owned and operated Welter Funeral Home for over 40 years. The family has been very active in community service throughout their lives, and contacted the HCF wanting to expand their passion for Huron on a permanent basis by creating an endowment.

According to Bob, the donation was one of the easiest decisions they ever made. “Emily and I are so lucky to have moved to Huron; the community has been a wonderful place to work, live, and raise our family,” said Bob.

Sharing this sentiment, Emily added, “We owe this community so much for welcoming us, supporting our business, educating our children, and allowing us the great privilege to have helped area families through the difficult times surrounding the loss of a loved one.”

The couple said they have been very impressed with the impact made by the Huron Community Foundation. “We can see where they are really making a difference for dozens of organizations and countless people across the community; that was important to us,” said Emily. “By making this gift now, rather than in our estate planning, we can see the beginning fruits of this gift while Bob and I are still living to see the impact for Huron residents.”

Grants Awarded

Huron Hockey Association
Huron Housing Partnership
Heartland Rodeo Association
Huron Chamber & Visitors Bureau-Leadership Huron
People's Transit

Rhonda grew up in Fort Pierre, attended SDSU and graduated from BHSU with degrees in Elementary Education/Early Childhood Development. She currently serves as Vice President for HCF and has been involved with the Student United Way-Huron Youth Leadership Council (HYLC) since it was restructured under the auspices of the United Way Heartland Region in 2017. A philosophy she has long believed is that the engagement of the next generation is pivotal to the vitality of any community. The HYLC recently received the SD Association of Fundraising Professionals Youth in Philanthropy Award and has granted over $40,000 toward youth leadership development projects since 2003. She has been actively involved in various community and state organizations working passionately to advance opportunities for children. She taught Kindergarten for 20 years and helped to establish the Huron Preschool Partnership Program and serves on the Statewide Family Engagement Center Advisory Council.

Doug, a graduate of USD and USD Law School, is a recently retired attorney. He was on the initial board of the Huron Community Foundation working with other like-minded Huronians to establish the foundation. He has served on numerous boards and committees and was chairperson of the Middle School Expansion Project educating the community on the need for a new facility. He served on the Huron City Commission during the Covid 19 outbreak and with the mayor and other commissioners led Huron through a very difficult time. He serves as the chairperson for Heartland State Bank Board of Directors and represents the States Attorney’s Office in the Beadle County Drug Court Program.

The Kludts have two children. Rachel Kary is the Huron High School Librarian, and her husband Levi is the Executive Director of the Huron Regional Medical Center Foundation. They have two boys, Leo, and Connor. Their son Thomas lives in New York City with his longtime partner, Anna Friemoth. Thomas is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair.

The Matthesen Family Fund is a permanent legacy created by Craig for the benefit of the community where he lived and worked. "Craig gave to three things he cherished: baseball, the Huron community, and South Dakota," said his brother Larry Matthesen. "He felt the S.D. Community Foundation was the best way to use the money."

Matthesen remembered that when growing up in Chadron, Neb., an individual left money to the community after passing away. With the gift, the town built a new baseball field for the entire community to enjoy. The concept of that selfless act stuck with Matthesen throughout his lifetime, and he decided to carry it on with an estate gift to the Huron Community Foundation to benefit the Huron community, Chadron State College and the baseball program in Chadron.

Matthesen owned and operated Freeze Frame Video in Huron, where he resided for about 15 years. He also had video stores in Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Matthesen poured himself into starting and making his business a success. He also actively gave back during his life by mentoring the young people he hired to work in his store. For many of them, working at Freeze Frame was their first job.

After moving from Huron, Matthesen lived in Las Vegas, Nev., and also owned a condominium in Hill City, S.D., at the time of his death at age 65.

Matthesen, a gifted photographer and journalist, majored in psychology and had a minor in sociology at Chadron State, and took News and Feature Writing as a senior in the spring of 1974, sparking his interest in journalism.

He was an avid sports fan who played baseball from Little League through the American Legion level as a youth. He also coached the Chadron Junior Legion teams. As he was nearing graduation from college, he was the sports editor of the Chadron Record. Later, he was a sportswriter for the Scottsbluff Star-Herald and an editor for newspapers at Tekamah, Neb., and Dickinson, N.D.

Matthesen retired in 2000 at age 50 and frequently traveled during his 15 years of retirement. He visited Europe, attended the weddings for his niece in New York and nephew in California and major league baseball games in Boston and New York, primarily to watch the Yankees, his favorite team. In addition, he and lifelong friend Kevin Donohue attended several postseason college basketball tournaments.

Grants Awarded
Community Development Foundation
Heartland Rodeo Association
Huron Community Campus
Huron Parks & Recreation Wobbegongs Swim Team

Huron Public School District

Izaak Walton League

Pheasants Forever

Jerry and Sandra Mencke of Huron recently established the “Jerry & Sandra Mencke Family Fund” under the umbrella of the Huron Community Foundation, according to Foundation President Steve Gohn.

“The Mencke’s have quietly funded projects on their own over the years,” said Gohn. “However, they decided to take the next step and set up a fund to give back to a community where they are lifelong residents.”

Jerry Mencke said they made the contribution because they wanted to belong to an organization that will help fund worthwhile projects. “We want to provide an example for our children and grandchildren so they can experience what they have done in being able to help others,” said Mencke.

Sandra Mencke added that they wanted to help address Huron’s community needs. “There are many important projects that do not get completed due to a lack of funds available,” said Sandra. “We wanted to help be a part of the solution and give our family a part in helping to select organizations to receive support from our fund.”

Gohn said the Huron Community Foundation is honored to have another sub-fund established that will benefit Huron for decades to come, as only the interest is used for grants. “The Mencke family will make the decision on where they want the funds to go when the grant requests come in for review,” said Gohn.

Jerry worked for International Harvester, later Olsen Implement, for 47 years. Sandra worked for USDA/Rural Development for 27 years. They have been married for 52 years. They have three grown children: Ken, a computer programmer in Minneapolis; Kurt, a colonel in the Air Force, and Kim (Jeff) DeVries of Huron, a Pharmacist. They have eight grandchildren.

The Huron Community Foundation (HCF) is a community savings account which benefits the Huron community. Individuals, families, and organizations can establish their own fund under the umbrella of HCF as a sub-fund. The HCF in turn invest the funds with the South Dakota Community Foundation, who handles the administration and investment management of individual funds around the state.

For more information about contributing to the Huron Community Foundation, or setting up a dedicated sub-fund, contact Steve Gohn at hcf@huronsd.com or 605-354-1118.

Grants Awarded
Huron Chamber and Visitors Bureau-Leadership Huron
Jan Manolis Family Safe Center

“We really feel that this is a good way to give back to the community,” said Nancy Schiltz at the Wednesday notification conference. “I like the approach that the Foundation has toward improving housing in the community, and believe that better housing leads to more people.”

Terry Schiltz said that after he and his wife had sold the final portion of their AgSense business in Huron, it was a way to give something back, while also leveraging funding for HCF, through the S.D. Community Foundation challenge.

“The S.D. Community Foundation extended a challenge to participating communities,” explained HCF board chairman Steve Gohn, “that if the local foundation could raise $200,000 of new donations, that it would match that with a $25,000 donation.”

“Steve contacted us and it just seemed like the right time,” Terry Schiltz said. “Huron Community Foundation is a good conduit for non-profits to get help with their projects in the community,” Nancy added. “You can see the impact that its work does.”

The 53-year-old Terry Schiltz said he is now retired, “Although my daughter pointed out that I am really unemployed!” he said. “We have a lot of different projects we are looking at and are seeking new opportunities as well.” Nancy, who is 52, said she looks forward to doing more volunteer work in the community. The couple has a son, Walker, who is a senior at Huron High School, and a daughter, Brooke, who is a junior.

The Schiltz Family Fund gift pushes the total of new donations to the HCF to $177,000, Gohn said. The challenge from SDCF is through December of 2021. “The challenge is that when you have raised $100,000 the local foundation receives $12,500,” Gohn said, “which we have received.”

Funds for the Huron Community Foundation are pooled with those of other communities in the state, under the management of the S.D. Community Foundation. Each year, interest from the HCF fund is available for grants to local non-profit organizations for the betterment of the community.

“We’re very grateful for the gift from the Schiltz family,” Gohn said, “and excited to see our donations increase toward the challenge.”

The Wheeler Family Fund was established by Wheeler family members residing in Beadle County to benefit the Huron community.

The Wheeler Family - Rick, Ron, Brian, Kirke and June - started the fund with an initial $100,000.00 contribution to the Huron Community Foundation. The donation establish the Wheeler Family Fund in memory of their parents - Kirke and Maurine Wheeler; grandparents - John and Leila Wheeler; and brother and husband - Dr. Jeff Wheeler.

The Wheeler Family has been part of Huron since the late 1800s when their great uncle Holland Wheeler started Wheeler Drug Store which continued in business under John Wheeler until his death in 1962. Kirke Wheeler then changed it to Wheelers, Inc. and sold office, school and janitor supplies. 

It is from the hard work of their ancestors that the Wheeler Family is able to establish this fund. The Huron Community Foundation provides for the contribution to be retained forever, with the income each year being available for distribution to various Huron organizations.

The Huron Community Foundation Board of Directors oversees the fund and makes gifts each year with the guidance of representatives from the Wheeler Family.

The Huron Community Foundation appreciates this generous gift from the Wheeler family to establish the perpetual Wheeler Family Fund. It will have lasting future benefits to the Huron community.

Huron Event Center Endowment Fund was established to provide future grant funds for Huron Event Center improvements. Grants are directed by the City of Huron.

You have worked hard and saved for your retirement, and your hard work has paid off. Now use your savings to create your legacy by making an IRA Charitable Rollover Gift.

If you are 70½ or older you can use your individual retirement accounty (IRA) to support your favorite charity. Making an IRA charitable rollover gift to the Huron Community Foundation will lower income and taxes from your IRA required minimum distribution this year.

The donation can be part of the Huron Community Foundation general endowment, or you can set up a donor advised fund where you, your family, or someone you choose can decide how the earnings on your investment will be used to make Huron a better place, year-after-year, for decades to come.

Benefits of an IRA Charitable Rollover

• Avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA to our organization
• Satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year
• Reduce your taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions
• Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts
• Help further the work and mission of our organization

How an IRA Charitable Rollover Gift Works

• Contact your IRA plan administrator to make a gift from your IRA to us.
• Your IRA funds will be directly transferred to our organization to help continue our important work.
• Please note that IRA charitable rollover gifts do not qualify for a charitable deduction.
• Please contact us if you wish for your gift to be used for a specific purpose.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about an IRA charitable rollover gift, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have. Email the Huron Community Foundation at hcf@huronsd.com or call Foundation President Steve Gohn at (605) 354-1118.

Estate plan is vital to ensuring your wishes are carried out and can help you leave a lasting legacy. Let the Huron Community Foundation help you get started. The Foundation can refer to you expert attornies, CPAs, and SD Community Foundation estate planners that will help you reach your goals.

Topics that can be explored include:

• What is a Community Foundation?
• Estate Planning in the simplest terms.
• Named Partner Funds.
• The power of including charity in your estate plan.
• What are Living Wills and do I need one?
• What are Durable Powers of Attorney and do I need them?
• What if I die without a Will?
• What is Probate?
• An explanation of joint tenancies, tenancies in common and life estates.
• What is the role of beneficiary designations in estate planning?
• What is a revocable living trust??
• Gift Tax.
• Generation Skipping Tax.
• Valuations and the role of discounts in planning.
• Charitable Bequests/Gifts.

Protect your loved ones and create your legacy. Contact the Huron Community Foundation at 605-354-1118 or email hcf@huronsd.com.