Spotlight

In 2019, Topeka Public Schools, the Topeka Community Foundation and the City of Topeka partnered with localorganizations to launch Impact Avenues. The program uses a Collective Impact Model to provide wrap-around services to regional families with the goal of reducing student homelessness. For this episode, Marsha Pope is joined by Carrie Higgins, Housing Services Division Director for the City of Topeka, and Cody Foster, CEO of Advisors Excel, which provided a startup grant to fund the program. They share the origins of Impact Avenues and some of the challenges and success stories from the first 5 years.

Note: This episode was recorded before recent announcements about the program's new location at the Compassion Impact Center

Learn more about services available: https://topeka.gov/how_do_i/programs-services/impact-avenues/ 2026

Update from Compassion Strategies: https://www.wibw.com/2026/03/03/compassion-impact-center-open-inside-former-childrens-palace-trm/

Compassion Impact Center: https://www.compassionstrategies.org/cic

Dr. Tiffany Anderson has been the Superintendent of Topeka Public Schools since 2016. In this episode, she reflects on some of the biggest challenges, hard-earned successes, and the community partnerships helping students thrive today. Learn more: -https://www.topekapublicschools.net/about_us/biography -https://topekacommunityfoundation.org/news/2026/4/8/2026-scholarship-winners-announced

August is Make-a-Will Month, and we invited local estate planning attorney Hurst Coffman to chat about his experience working with individuals and families to align their charitable goals with their estate planning. In addition to some entertaining stories and TCF lore, this conversation includes practical tips for clients and professional advisors.

Learn more about legacy planning and reach out with any questions: https://topekacommunityfoundation.org/thelegacysociety

Professional Advisors - Don't miss our free training on September 22nd! Register at https://topekacommunityfoundation.org/professionaladvisors

Tara Dimick sits down with Marsha Pope to chat about the role of the community foundation, entrepreneurship, and building a family culture of philanthropy with a Seed Fund. Tara is a TCF Board Member and CEO of Compass Marketing & Advertising Partners.

Learn more:

-Seed Funds: https://topekacommunityfoundation.org/seed-fund

-The Women's Fund: https://topekawomensfund.com/

-Compass Marketing & Advertising Partners: https://weareyourcompass.com/

-TK Business Magazine: https://tkmagazine.com/

In this episode, TCF President Marsha Pope is joined by Dr. David Price, Professor of Business Marketing at Washburn University, and Emily Harmon, 2025 winner of the Brenneman School of Business Community Innovation Challenge. The Topeka Community Foundation partnered with the business school to establish the challenge in 2023, providing students with an opportunity to pitch business ideas that focus on solving social issues facing our community, region, and world. With prize money at stake, students are encouraged to think of new ways to create profitable and sustainable businesses that provide a social good. Dr. Price shares how the challenge has grown and impacted our community and students. Emily Harmon, 2025 winner, reflects on the experience and where her business stands today.

What you'll learn: -How the Topeka Community Foundation partnered with the Brenneman School of Business to establish the Community Innovation Challenge at Washburn University. -All about social entrepreneurship. -Where to get a Trumpet Fidget!

To learn more about the Community Innovation Challenge, visit https://www.washburn.edu/academics/college-schools/business/Community-Innovation-Challenge.html

To view the Trumpet Fidget, visit https://pocket-keys.com/ .

Foundation President Marsha Pope is joined by Jamie Jalil, Executive Director of Be Filled of South Topeka, to discuss the role of one nonprofit in one unique neighborhood. Jalil emphasizes the importance of building partnerships and capitalizing on the strengths of the people and organizations that call South Topeka home.

What you'll learn: -All about Be Filled of South Topeka -How grants help nonprofits build capacity and sustainability -What makes South Topeka a unique community

Interested in Topeka Community Foundation grants? Visit https://topekacommunityfoundation.org/2026-grant-opportunities.

Topeka Community Foundation President Marsha Pope is joined by Janice Watkins, CEO of Topeka Habitat for Humanity, in the first episode of Spotlight. They sit down to discuss an innovative program, made possible by innovative funding through the Foundation's Impact Investing program.

What you'll learn:

-All about Topeka Habitat's House to Home program. -How Contracts for Deed are different from mortgages, and why they are harming some homeowners in Topeka. -Why the Foundation began to use Impact Investing as a tool to strengthen the Topeka region. -How the success of House to Home is affecting change in communities around the world.

Visit https://www.topekahabitat.org/ for more information.

Get ready to join Marsha Pope, President of the Topeka Community Foundation, as she talks with the leaders, donors, and innovators who are making an impact in the Topeka region. Episode 1 of Spotlight will be released on April 1, 2026.