FRS Community Grants
Strong rural communities don’t happen by accident. They are built by people and organizations willing to invest in the places they call home.
That’s the purpose behind the FRS Community Grant Program. Each year, FRS provides funding to organizations and community projects in areas served by NTCA member companies, helping turn local ideas into meaningful improvements. Grants of $250 to $5,000 are awarded each November and support projects that make a lasting difference in rural communities.
From expanding technology and educational opportunities to strengthening support for first responders and addressing other local needs, these grants help communities tackle challenges and create new opportunities for the people who live there.
Shawnee Communications is proud to be part of the FRS Community Grant Program and to help bring additional resources to the rural communities we serve. We believe that investing in our communities means investing in their future—and we are proud to help support the people, organizations and ideas that make rural America such a great place to live.
For more information about FRS Community Grants, please visit https://www.frs.org/programs/grant-program/community-grant
Grant Recipients
2025 Recipient: Lovington Fire Department
The Lovington Fire Department is made up of dedicated volunteers who protect lives, property and farmland throughout our agricultural community. With long distances between emergency locations and limited access to hydrants or other reliable water sources, rural firefighting can present significant challenges.
FRS Community Grant funding facilitated the purchase of a Fol-Da-Tank, a portable water reservoir that provides a centralized water supply during emergencies. Tanker trucks can refill from the tank while firefighting operations continue, making it especially valuable during field or combine fires, extended incidents and other emergencies where a dependable water source is not readily available.
The Lovington Fire Department also provides mutual aid to the neighboring communities of Hammond, Arthur, Sullivan and Bethany. Making the Fol-Da-Tank available for regional responses would extend its benefit beyond Lovington, helping area departments work together more effectively and respond with greater preparedness.
This investment would provide firefighters with a critical resource when they need it most, helping protect rural families, farms, property and equipment throughout the region.
2024 Recipient: Hardin County High School
Many community projects in our area rely heavily on the dedication of local volunteers and retirees. The FarmBot project creates a sustainable, student-led program that can continue to grow and evolve with each new class of students.
FRS funding provided Hardin County High School with a FarmBot, an open-source precision agriculture system that combines robotics, coding and farming. The hands-on program gives K-12 students opportunities to learn about robotics, computer science, horticulture, soil science, biology and other STEM concepts while growing fresh produce.
More than 20 students in the Ag Construction class will help build the garden beds and assemble the FarmBot, while future Horticulture students will program and operate the system, managing plantings, fertilization and harvesting. This creates an ongoing learning opportunity that can be passed from one class to the next.
The project also directly benefits the community. Produce grown by students will be donated to the nearby Golden Circle Senior Center in Elizabethtown, helping provide fresh vegetables for the more than 1,300 meals served at the center each month and nearly 1,000 additional meals delivered to homebound seniors.
The FarmBot project brings together education, technology, agriculture and community service—giving students valuable real-world experience while helping provide fresh food to local seniors.