Greater Salina Community Foundation Introduces Giving Acres to Help Farm Families Preserve Their Legacy

The Greater Salina Community Foundation and its regional affiliates are proud to announce the launch of Giving Acres, a farmland giving program that helps farmers, ranchers and agricultural landowners preserve their legacy through charitable gifts of farmland.

For many farmers and ranchers, land is more than acres and boundaries. It represents generations of hard work, stewardship, and deep-rooted values. Giving Acres offers charitable giving options that allow landowners to support the communities they love while ensuring their values continue to make an impact for generations to come.

Whether donated during a donor's lifetime or through an estate plan, farmland gifted through Giving Acres can establish or grow a permanent charitable fund at the donor's local community foundation, benefiting the causes, organizations and communities that matter most to them.

"Giving Acres provides farmers and ranchers with an opportunity to keep their land locally owned, in production and benefiting the community they love," said Jessica Martin, President & Executive Director of the Greater Salina Community Foundation. "Our goal isn't simply to receive land. It's to honor a family's legacy, keep farmland working, strengthen rural communities and ensure the generosity that built those communities continues for generations."

Giving Acres offers several ways for landowners to create their legacy, including:

• Donating farmland outright during their lifetime
• Establishing a life estate, allowing the landowner to retain the right to use the property or receive income from it during their lifetime, with the charitable gift taking effect at a future date
• Including farmland in their will or trust

Once farmland is donated to Giving Acres, income generated by the property is directed to a permanent charitable fund at the donor's local community foundation, supporting the causes and charitable priorities they care about most. Whenever practical and consistent with a donor's wishes, the land will continue to be farmed by local producers and managed by experienced local farm management companies, preserving productive farmland, supporting local agriculture and creating a lasting source of charitable support for the community.

Amy Schreiner, Giving Acres Board Chair and Senior Vice President & Trust Officer at Advantage Trust Company, said Giving Acres gives families another meaningful way to think about the future of their land.

“Many agricultural landowners share the same desire to preserve what they've built while making a meaningful impact for future generations," Schreiner said. "Giving Acres gives families another charitable planning option to consider alongside their estate plan and in partnership with their trusted professional advisors. It's flexible, locally focused and rooted in the values that have shaped rural Kansas for generations."

In addition to creating a lasting charitable legacy, gifts of farmland may also provide meaningful income, capital gains and estate tax advantages, depending on each family's circumstances. Landowners considering a charitable gift are encouraged to consult with their attorney, accountant, financial advisor or trust officer to determine the planning approach that best fits their family's goals.

To learn more or schedule a confidential conversation, visit www.GivingAcres.org or contact the Greater Salina Community Foundation at (785) 823-1800.

About Giving Acres

Giving Acres, LLC, is a farmland giving and retention organization created to support charitable giving through the Greater Salina Community Foundation and its regional affiliates. Governed by a regional board of farmers and agricultural professionals from north central and western Kansas, Giving Acres helps ensure donated farmland remains productive, supports local agriculture and creates permanent charitable resources for local communities.

Through the program, the Greater Salina Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and its regional affiliates accept and retain farmland to establish permanent charitable funds to support charitable giving across rural Kansas.

About the Greater Salina Community Foundation

Since 1999, the Greater Salina Community Foundation and its 10 regional affiliates have inspired philanthropy to improve lives and strengthen communities across North Central and Western Kansas. Through partnerships with generous donors, professional advisors and nonprofits, the Foundation connects charitable giving with local needs and opportunities, creating lasting impact for generations to come.

Today, the Foundation stewards more than $387 million in charitable assets and has awarded more than $305 million in grants and scholarships since its founding.