How your gifts make our community healthier

Heart monitoring equipment, a sensory gym for kids, college educations for budding health professionals… these are just some of the initiatives the Hutchinson Health Foundation has helped fund. We support many diverse programs. And they all focus on improving our friends’ and neighbors’ health and well-being – both today and tomorrow.

Your donations turn this vision into reality. Everything we do – from complex multiyear hospital expansions to helping patients get to appointments – depends on you. Thank you for your continued partnership.

Discover your impact: 2023 Annual Report to the Community

Hutchinson Health Foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024. Since 1984, we’ve worked continuously to improve health and wellness within our community. We’ve done that by establishing long lasting relationships with donors, creating partnerships with local businesses and organizations, and engaging community members. Together, we’ve had direct impact on keeping quality health care local.

We invite you to read more about what your contributions helped us accomplish in 2023.

Our funding priorities at Hutchinson Health Foundation

farmers market

Area of greatest need

Gifts to our General Fund are unrestricted, which means we can use them to respond flexibly no matter what health care challenges our communities face. Thanks to your support, we’re able to quickly send funds where they’re needed, when they’re needed.
A doctor puts a comforting hand on her patient’s shoulder as they walk through the hall, chatting.

Exceptional care at Hutchinson Health

Funds contributed by donors support projects, educational programs, equipment and other related services that enhance patient care at Hutchinson Health. Foundation support is also instrumental in realizing major hospital capital expansions, including the surgical intensive care unit, the cancer center, multiple waiting room renovations and more.
wall of hearts

General Endowment Fund

The General Endowment Fund provides a permanent source of funds for capital purchases while also advancing our mission. An endowment is a permanent asset of an organization that’s invested to earn income. Thanks to gifts to our General Endowment Fund, we can maintain programs over a long period of time and secure the work of the Foundation well into the future.

Grants

To foster better health and well-being in our communities, we award community and internal grants every year for:

  • Health education programs
  • Programs and projects that improve health and health care services
  • New community health initiatives

Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has funded hundreds of grant requests. We’ve awarded a total of over $500,000 to support local health projects and ideas.

Scholarships

The Hutchinson Health Foundation Scholarship Program offers $23,000 in annual funding to create bright futures for students pursuing health care degrees or training.

Available scholarships include:

  • Hutchinson Health Foundation Scholarships – Three Scholarships of $2,000 each (This falls under the Area Schools) available to graduating high school seniors. Participating schools are Hutchinson High School, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart High School and Dassel-Cokato High School. Students can obtain instructions from their counseling center on application and deadline perimeters.
  • Knudtson Scholarships – Doctors Josh and Erin Knudtson fund two $1,000 scholarships available to graduating seniors from Hutchinson High School. Students can obtain instructions for their counseling center on application and deadline perimeters.
  • McKay Family Legacy Scholarship – One $1,000 scholarship available to a community member or graduating high school senior pursuing a career as a firefighter, peace officer, emergency medical technician (EMT) or paramedic. Preference will be given to applicants who are also a child, grandchild, sibling, niece or nephew of someone who has worked or volunteered in one of these professions. Download an application for the McKay Family Legacy Scholarship (PDF). Application deadline May 5, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.
  • Ridgewater Scholarship – One $1,000 scholarship available to a nursing student at Ridgewater College. Students can obtain application and deadline perimeters from the Ridgewater Resource Center.
  • Hutchinson Health Employees’ Child Scholarship – Two Scholarships of $2,000 available to children of Hutchinson Health employees. Recipients must be pursuing an undergraduate degree in a human health care-related field. Download an application for the Hutchinson Health Employees’ Child Scholarship (PDF). Application deadline is May 3, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
  • Hutchinson Health Employee Scholarship – Two Scholarships of $2,000 available to a current Hutchinson Health employee pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in a human health care-related field. Download an application for the Hutchinson Health Employee Scholarship (PDF). Application deadline is May 3, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
  • Hutchinson Health Foundation Graduate Scholarship – Two Scholarships of $2,000 available to students pursuing a graduate degree in a human health care-related field. Download an application for the Hutchinson Health Foundation Graduate Scholarship (PDF). Application deadline is May 3, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.

Health and well-being

We support health and well-being initiatives in our communities through programs such as PowerUp, which inspires kids and families to eat better, move more and feel good. We also help our neighbors find vital mental and behavioral health care through local programs.