MANHATTAN, Kan. – Four Kansas counties and two multi-county projects have been named recipients of mini-grants from the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development.

This is the first year that the Institute has awarded mini-grants to multi-county organizations, said Institute Director Ron Wilson. The two projects – both in southern Kansas – are Youth Leaders in Agriculture and the Sunflower Initiative.

Youth Leaders in Agriculture is a recently-proposed program to serve 4-H members in 24 counties of southwest Kansas. The project was developed by K-State Research and Extension staff in Haskell, Grant, and Kearny Counties.

The Sunflower initiative is a series of leadership sessions for residents in eight counties of south central Kansas. The program is conducted by the Sunflower Resource Conservation and Development area in Harper, and the Pratt area Chamber of Commerce.

The $200 mini-grants are funded by the Huck Boyd Foundation of Phillipsburg, Kan.

The four Kansas counties also will be receiving $200 to pursue leadership activities in local communities. This year’s winners are Cloud, Gove, Jefferson and Sheridan counties. This is the fourth year that individual Kansas counties have received Huck Boyd mini-grants.

"We are pleased to support these local initiatives to build community leadership across Kansas," Wilson said.

Kansas counties that have received mini-grants previously include Doniphan, Decatur, Graham, Greeley, Mitchell, Morton and Rawlins counties (2000); Kingman, Meade, Ottawa, Republic and Stevens counties (1999); and Hodgeman, Lane, Norton, Scott and Trego counties (1998).

The Huck Boyd Institute is a public/private partnership between Kansas State University and the Huck Boyd Foundation. The Foundation office is at the Huck Boyd Community Center in Phillipsburg. The Institute office is at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

McDill "Huck" Boyd of Phillipsburg was a long-time Kansas newspaper publisher, state and national leader, and advocate for rural America.