TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $4.13 million in Community Service Tax Credits to 27 nonprofit organizations around the state.

These future Kansas income tax credits are a major fundraising tool for community organizations engaged in services for children and families, health care or crime prevention. Businesses and individuals who contribute to the awarded organizations are eligible for a 70 percent tax credit in rural areas or a 50 percent tax credit in urban areas.

“I want to congratulate these very deserving organizations and the work they do to make our state a better place to live,” said Kansas Commerce Secretary Pat George. “The Community Service Tax Credit Program helps attract investment in community improvement projects throughout the state.”

The Community Service Tax Credit Program is a way for charitable organizations and public health care entities to improve their ability to undertake major capital fund-raising drives for projects involving children and family services, non-governmental crime prevention and health care. Each year, non-profit community service organizations submit proposals to the Department. If the organization is awarded tax credits, it is then authorized to offer tax credits to donors making contributions to the approved fund-raising project.
Tax credits totaling $4.13 million are allocated to these groups annually at a rate of 70 percent in rural areas and 50 percent in non-rural areas. For example, qualified donors who give $1,000 to an approved project in a non-rural area would receive a 50 percent (or $500) tax credit against their Kansas income tax liability. In addition, the donors would receive federal tax benefits if they itemize, which would again decrease their tax liability.

Here are the ones in the South-central part of the state including Hutchinson.

Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center gets $100,000. The Cosmosphere is initiating a capital campaign to address pressing facility needs, including necessary renovations to the building and necessary upgrades to the IMAX theater.

Buhler Sunshine Home, dba Sunshine Meadows Retirement Community in Buhler at $210,000.
Sunshine Meadows Retirement Community will perform extensive renovations in order to adopt a new care methodology.

Kansas Health Learning Center in Halstead at $200,000. The Kansas Health Learning Center will significantly expand capacity by completing the bottom level of its facility. This will result in expanded programming for health education in Kansas.

Camp Wa-Ja-To Corp., up in Lyons at $200,000. Camp Wa-Jo-To will construct a storm shelter. This heavily used camp does not currently have an adequate storm shelter.

Kansas Public Telecommunications Service Inc. at $150,000. KPTS-TV 8 needs a new broadcast tower because of the recent transition to digital. Large portions of the station’s viewing area are now unable to receive the signal. There current tower is located on the southwest corner of Buhler Road and 4th Street, east of Hutchinson.

Youth Horizons in Valley Center at $120,000. Youth Horizons will construct a rural boys’ ranch that will work to assist at-risk youth in south central Kansas.