Black Hills Community Giving

From Black Hills Corporation Foundation

Strong, vibrant communities are our lifeblood, and we invest our time and resources so they can grow and aim even higher.

Type of Support

Overview

The grant program is dedicated to supporting events and organizations through sponsorships or charitable contributions, with a focus on initiatives that align with their key priorities: responsible energy and environmental stewardship, education and workforce development, strong communities, and helping people. Applications can be submitted at any time, but events scheduled more than six months in the future are discouraged, and applicants should allow up to 120 days for a decision.

Eligibility

Organization's Location

USA

Program Location

AR (Baxter County, Benton County, Boone County, Carroll County, Clay County, Craighead County, Crawford County, Crittenden County, Franklin County, Greene County, Izard County, Johnson County, Lawrence County, Logan County, Madison County, Marion County, Mississippi County, Pulaski County, Stone County, Washington County), CO (Adams County, Arapahoe County, Archuleta County, Bent County, Boulder County, Cheyenne County, Crowley County, Custer County, Delta County, Denver County, Douglas County, Eagle County, El Paso County, Elbert County, Fremont County, Garfield County, Jefferson County, Kit Carson County, La Plata County, Larimer County, Lincoln County, Logan County, Mesa County, Moffat County, Montrose County, Morgan County, Otero County, Ouray County, Phillips County, Pitkin County, Pueblo County, Rio Grande County, San Miguel County, Sedgwick County, Teller County, Washington County, Weld County, Yuma County), IA (Adair County, Allamakee County, Audubon County, Benton County, Black Hawk County, Boone County, Bremer County, Buchanan County, Butler County, Calhoun County, Carroll County, Cass County, Cedar County, Cerro Gordo County, Chickasaw County, Clay County, Clayton County, Clinton County, Crawford County, Dallas County, Delaware County, Dickinson County, Dubuque County, Emmet County, Fayette County, Floyd County, Franklin County, Fremont County, Greene County, Grundy County, Guthrie County, Hamilton County, Hancock County, Hardin County, Harrison County, Howard County, Humboldt County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Jones County, Linn County, Marshall County, Mills County, Mitchell County, Monona County, Montgomery County, O'Brien County, Pocahontas County, Polk County, Pottawattamie County, Poweshiek County, Sac County, Shelby County, Story County, Tama County, Webster County, Winnebago County, Winneshiek County, Woodbury County, Worth County, Wright County), KS (Anderson County, Atchison County, Barber County, Barton County, Brown County, Butler County, Chase County, Cherokee County, Cheyenne County, Clark County, Cloud County, Coffey County, Cowley County, Crawford County, Decatur County, Douglas County, Edwards County, Ellis County, Ellsworth County, Finney County, Ford County, Franklin County, Grant County, Gray County, Harper County, Harvey County, Haskell County, Hodgeman County, Johnson County, Kearny County, Kingman County, Kiowa County, Labette County, Leavenworth County, Lyon County, Marion County, McPherson County, Meade County, Miami County, Mitchell County, Montgomery County, Morton County, Nemaha County, Neosho County, Ottawa County, Pawnee County, Pratt County, Reno County, Rice County, Rush County, Russell County, Scott County, Sedgwick County, Seward County, Shawnee County, Sherman County, Stafford County, Stevens County, Sumner County, Wallace County, Washington County), MT (Carter County, Powder River County), NE (Adams County, Antelope County, Boone County, Box Butte County, Brown County, Buffalo County, Burt County, Butler County, Cass County, Cedar County, Chase County, Cheyenne County, Clay County, Cuming County, Custer County, Dakota County, Dawes County, Dawson County, Deuel County, Dixon County, Dodge County, Douglas County, Dundy County, Fillmore County, Franklin County, Frontier County, Furnas County, Gage County, Garden County, Garfield County, Gosper County, Greeley County, Hall County, Hamilton County, Harlan County, Hitchcock County, Holt County, Howard County, Jefferson County, Johnson County, Kearney County, Keith County, Kimball County, Knox County, Lancaster County, Lincoln County, Madison County, Merrick County, Morrill County, Nance County, Nemaha County, Nuckolls County, Otoe County, Pawnee County, Perkins County, Phelps County, Pierce County, Platte County, Polk County, Red Willow County, Rock County, Saline County, Sarpy County, Saunders County, Scotts Bluff County, Seward County, Sheridan County, Sherman County, Stanton County, Thayer County, Thurston County, Valley County, Washington County, Wayne County, Webster County, York County), SD (Butte County, Custer County, Fall River County, Lawrence County, Meade County, Pennington County), WY (Albany County, Campbell County, Carbon County, Converse County, Crook County, Fremont County, Goshen County, Johnson County, Laramie County, Natrona County, Niobrara County, Park County, Platte County, Sheridan County, Sweetwater County, Weston County)

Organization Type

Organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status

Schools or school districts

Ineligibility

Events scheduled more than 6 months in advance

501c4 organizations

501c6 organizations (with a note that Chambers or economic development organizations may reach out for other funding)

Requests benefitting individuals, a single family, or team/group

Athletic, labor, fraternal requests

Runs/walks/teams/golf/sporting tournaments (unless related to Black Hills Energy focus areas)

Requests for endowment funds

Regional/national organizations without a local presence

Requests covering travel costs

Requests related to specific illnesses or diseases

Groups posing a conflict of interest for Black Hills Energy

Political causes, candidates, campaigns, or organizations focusing on legislation influence.

not specified

Application deadline

Rolling

Submission

Review Criteria

Restrictions on Eligibility: We ask that you refrain from applying if your event will occur more than six months ahead. Black Hills Energy cannot provide charitable support to:

501c4 entities, including social welfare organizations and civic leagues, due to their political activity involvement, which renders their donations non-tax-deductible.
501c6 entities, such as Chambers of Commerce, economic development organizations, and boards of trade.

However, Chambers, economic development entities, or other tax-exempt organizations are encouraged to contact the Community Affairs manager(s) in their respective states for potential eligibility for alternative funding opportunities that are not a part of our charitable donations program.

We typically do not approve funding for:

Requests that benefit only individuals, single families, or specific teams/groups.
Athletic, labor, or fraternal initiatives.*
Activities such as runs, walks, teams, golf, or sporting events unless they directly support Black Hills Energy's main interests like economic development, energy assistance, or United Way initiatives.
Funding for endowments.
Regional or national organizations lacking a local presence.
Requests aimed at covering travel expenses.
Causes focused on a specific illness or disease.
Entities that pose a conflict of interest to Black Hills Energy.
Political causes, candidates, campaigns, or organizations primarily aimed at legislative influence.

*Exceptions may be considered if the request aligns with our key areas of interest.