History & Mission
The mission of the STEP Foundation is to enrich the quality of life in Nemaha County by encouraging philanthropy to develop an endowment that will respond to changing needs and serve as a resource for the development of cultural, economic, educational, health and recreational opportunities.
We are making Nemaha County a great place to live, work, and give.
History
In June of 1993, a town meeting, organized by Joan Lueger and Shirley Heideman, was held at the Nemaha Valley High School to discuss a community foundation development. Eighty-five people attended and agreed to form a Vision Committee to formulate the goals with community input. Using suggestions by local residents, the Vision Committee selected the name, STEP Foundation. STEP is an acronym for “Striving to Ensure Progress” which fits the goals of the Vision Committee. A group of people volunteered to begin the organization of the Foundation.
Goals, ideas and dreams became a reality in August 1993. The Articles of Incorporation were filed with the State of Kansas for the Not-For-Profit Corporation status, followed by the writing of the By-Laws and filing of an application with the Internal Revenue Service to qualify the STEP Foundation as a 501c3 charitable organization.
Since that time, the STEP Foundation has been Striving To Ensure Progress in Nemaha County!
The Nemaha County STEP Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity incorporated under the laws of the State of Kansas. Our mission is to enrich the quality of life in Nemaha County by encouraging philanthropy to develop a permanent endowment that will respond to the changing needs and serve as a resource for the development of cultural, economic, educational, health and recreational opportunities.
Unlike a private foundation, whose grant making is usually the result of a single donor, the Foundation is funded by gifts from many donors, ranging from a few to thousands of dollars. Generally, only the income generated by the investment of these gifts is used for grants. Thus, the STEP Foundation will serve our community forever.
The Nemaha County STEP Foundation is a “community” foundation in that we collect and administer charitable funds. We are technically a charity. We channel gifts of money from private and corporate donors to a variety of nonprofit organizations that serve the residents of Nemaha County. The Foundation serves Nemaha County in three ways:
- Seeking and soliciting gifts and bequests from individuals, families, corporations, and other nonprofit organizations,
- Managing assets for optimum return and perpetuation of the donor’s intentions, and
- Distributing funds through grants.