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Next Vistas Campaign
A multi-year campaign to raise $5 million dollars to support the Flint Hills Discovery Center launched on April 6, 2019.
The Flint Hills Discovery Center, a gemstone almost as magnificent as the land it pays homage to, captures and shares the stories of the place, the people and the promise that is the Flint Hills. In doing so, the Discovery Center celebrates the Flint Hills prairie and works toward its preservation and sustainability.
Next Vistas Comprehensive Campaign Video
The Flint Hills Discovery Center, a gemstone almost as magnificent as the land it pays homage to, captures and shares the stories of the place, the people and the promise that is the Flint Hills. In doing so, the Discovery Center celebrates the Flint Hills prairie and works toward its preservation and sustainability.
Next Vistas Comprehensive Campaign Video
The Vision of the FHDC Foundation
The Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation functions to advance the mission of the Flint Hills Discovery Center by providing charitable support for its programs and other initiatives, ensuring stewardship of the tallgrass prairie and Flint Hills.
The Discovery Center’s permanent and traveling exhibits, and its educational programming and outreach, are combined with points of interest throughout the Flint Hills to create a unique experience for every generation to learn and explore. Families have the opportunity to connect with their heritage and enjoy quality time together. The Discovery Center has over 10,000 square feet of exhibits which bring the geology, biology and cultural history of the hills to life. There is an adventure for every age.
The New Vistas Campaign, led by the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, serves to develop private support for the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Capital, equipment, endowment and educational programming - exhibits, outreach, classes, tours, special events and more - are the focus of the campaign. This campaign, to reach new vistas in the Discovery Center’s history, serves to enrich, enhance and expand the Discovery Center’s unique educational opportunities as it engages Kansans, Americans and people from around the world.
The New Vistas Campaign, led by the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, serves to develop private support for the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Capital, equipment, endowment and educational programming - exhibits, outreach, classes, tours, special events and more - are the focus of the campaign. This campaign, to reach new vistas in the Discovery Center’s history, serves to enrich, enhance and expand the Discovery Center’s unique educational opportunities as it engages Kansans, Americans and people from around the world.
Next Vistas Campaign Objectives
The campaign serves to secure funding for (1) capital; (2) equipment; (3) exhibits; (4) programming in support of education and outreach; and (5) endowment funds to ensure the future of the Flint Hills Discovery Center.Capital and Equipment - $2 million
• Prairie Playscape is the featured capital project of our Next Vistas Campaign. Located on the second floor Mezzanine of theDiscovery Center, the space is specifically designed to immerse children in an exceptional, hands-on, educational experience.
• The outdoor Interpretive Trails Project ties all levels of the Discovery Center into a “walking trail” experience.
• Terrace Level Enhancements include lighting, shade, and outdoor furnishings for workshops, seminars, lectures, and public use.
Program Enhancements - $500,000 over 5 years
• Each year, Traveling Exhibits at the Discovery Center bring new and exciting, educational and entertaining opportunities for people of allages. Securing traveling exhibits occurs several years in advance of the actual exhibition, and requires extensive planning and staging.
• Each year, funding is required for in-house and outreach Educational Programs. Discovery Center staff are responsible for planning and
delivering the wide range of youth and adult programs offered at the Center, including the hosting of thousands of students.
• Each year, Special Events and Festivals draw thousands of visitors to the Discovery Center. Annual traditions like National Day of the
Cowboy, Flint Hills Festival, and Military Appreciation Days are augmented with once-in-a-generation, educational events like the 2017 Solar
Eclipse.
Endowment - $2.5 million
Long-term support for these important Discovery Center initiatives can be ensured with the creation and growth of endowed funds. Currently, the Foundation oversees $400,000 in funds to support the annual needs of the Horizon Ranch Immersive Experience Theater. These funds provide for upgrades and replacement, program enhancements, curriculum development, exhibitions, and more.The Foundation oversees a general endowed fund in support of the Discovery Center. It also provides opportunities for dedicated funds, including named endowed funds, focused on specific initiatives like the Horizon Ranch Immersive Experience Theater.
We’d love the opportunity to speak to you!
8 Ways to Make a Gift to the Flint Hills Discover Center Foundation
Flint Hills Discover Center Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization under the IRS Code. The organization accepts a variety of gifts as donations for endowment, capital initiatives and for programs to benefit the institution, including but not limited, to:
- Gifts of cash.
- Gifts of stocks, bonds, mutual funds.
- Gifts of personal property.
- Gifts of real property.
- Gifts of trusts.
- Gifts of IRA distribution.
- Gifts of bequests.
- Gifts from insurance.
We encourage you to reach out to our Foundation directly to learn more about becoming a contributor towards this exceptional mission. You can also request that a staff member reach out to you by clicking here.
Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation
Email the FHDC Foundation
315 S 3rd Street
Manhattan, KS 66502
785-748-1275