Betting on Home with Tripp County Community Foundation

In Tripp County, South Dakota, a grassroots matching challenge planted three decades ago has grown into the vision of what happens when a small community decides to invest in itself, one gift, one memorial and one scholarship at a time.

Tripp County is one of 90 communities across South Dakota that partners with South Dakota Community Foundation through its Community Savings Account program. Since that first matching challenge in 1995, Tripp County Community Foundation has granted nearly $1 million back into the community, supporting worthy causes and young people through scholarships. 

Dawn Covey, chairperson of TCCF, sat down with Jamie Farmen, senior community development coordinator of SDCF, to talk about how that grassroots beginning grew into a legacy for the community that built it.

A Beginning Built on Foresight

In 1995, the Lillibridge family set out to strengthen every community where First Fidelity Bank had a branch. Their offer was simple: $50,000 to help start a local foundation, if the community could match it.

At the time, both Winner and Colome had First Fidelity branches. Rather than building two separate funds, the towns joined forces to form one TCCF, which meant doubling the challenge.

“We needed to raise $100,000, so that is how it all began in 1995. It probably wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the Lillibridge family and their community support and involvement,” said Dawn.

The community met that challenge, and three decades later, Dawn still points back to that first step as the reason everything else was possible.

“We wouldn’t be doing the things we are today if it weren’t for those initial steps that they took,” she said.

More Than a Savings Account

For newcomers, Dawn describes the foundation simply: It is a place to give with the assurance that the gift stays close to home.

“It’s a great avenue if you want to donate to your community and ensure that those donations are actually going to stay in your community. It might be a gift that is partially used today, and partially invested and used 25 years from now,” explained Dawn. 

Donors can give to a general community savings account fund, which supports local grantmaking, or direct their gift to a special interest, cause or one of TCCF's roughly dozen scholarship funds. Whatever the choice, Dawn said the appeal is the same: Someone is always minding the money.

“There’s always somebody taking care of these funds. It’s not getting lost in the shuffle. We’re always going to have a board. We’ll always be working with South Dakota Community Foundation. Long after I’m here, this is still going to be a functioning thing for our community, and that means a lot to our donors.”

Grants That Add Up

Today, the foundation holds more than $3.5 million in assets and has granted nearly $1 million back into Tripp County through scholarships and community projects. The list of impact is not a small one. From the community pool, the library, volunteer fire departments, the historical society, youth sports programs, the Winner Community Playhouse, veterans memorials, senior meal programs to students headed to national competitions, the impact goes on.

“It’s pretty amazing that donations from very generous people have been able to do all that,” she said.

For Dawn, the dollar figures matter less than what they represent.

“It means that people are seeing what the foundation has been able to do in our community, and that they’re thinking, ‘oh yeah, this is something I might want to invest in, because I can see there’s progress,’” she said.

Gifts That Outlast a Lifetime

Some of the foundation’s most meaningful support has come after a donor is gone. Dawn spoke of Bill Matousek, a founding board member who left his entire estate to the foundation, part of it designated for the county historical society and the rest for general grantmaking.

“Everything he did, he did quietly behind the scenes. He wasn’t looking for self-promotion. He wanted to leave our community with the ability to become better. The funds he left will be used by the historical society and our community, and it will be there long after any of us are alive,” Dawn shared.

Then there is Mary Still, a hairdresser and lifelong Tripp County resident who lived past 100 and had no family to leave her estate to. She left the foundation $50,000, now used entirely for student scholarships.

“To think that somebody who just did hair all her life was able to give a gift like that is just kind of phenomenal to me,” Dawn said.

No gift is too small in Dawn’s eyes. Dawn shares how individuals can choose to make a donation as small as $25, in someone’s honor. 

“It’s doing something for that family, but it’s also doing something for your community. It’s not sending dollars to another state or another town. It’s things that will be used right here,” Dawn said.

What Comes Next

Looking ahead, Dawn has a simple hope: that more people will learn what the foundation does and feel invited to be part of it.

“I would love it if people start by calling one of our board members and say, ‘Hey, tell me more about this.’ The more interest we get, the more donations for our community. Maybe someday we can do something really big in our community that’s needed,” said Dawn. 

Her advice for towns wondering whether a community foundation could work for them is rooted in what she has seen firsthand.

“Every dollar counts and every donor counts. It’s amazing when you just start adding those little dollar amounts together over time, what you can do with that. You don’t have to have a huge donation to make an impact in our community. For me, it’s a no-brainer.”

A Community Betting on Itself

Dawn did not grow up in Tripp County. She met her husband at South Dakota State University and moved to his family’s homestead, settled in 1909, where the two have now lived and ranched for 41 years.

“I may not have originated in Tripp County, but I’ve lived here longer than any other place in my life, so it’s home. I’m proud to be a community member, and I’m proud of this community foundation,” said Dawn.

Looking back at what a handful of founding board members built from a single matching challenge, Dawn still finds it remarkable.

“It amazes me what you can accomplish when a community gets together and tries to work together,” she said.

To learn more about SDCF's Community Savings Account program, visit SDCommunityFoundation.org and click on "Local Impact."