Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson awarded $1.5 million in grants through the Home in the Heartland program to cities in the state, including Parsons. The initiative was established by the Kansas Legislature in 2025 to strengthen local economies by recruiting new residents.
The Home in the Heartland program addresses a challenge for Kansas communities: attracting and retaining new residents. Many towns are losing population, which limits growth and reduces long-term economic stability. These grants provide supplemental funds for local leaders to design and launch their own recruitment efforts, ensuring that solutions are shaped at the community level.
Parsons will receive $73,200, which will be used for the Make My Move program to attract work from home families to the city, according to Jim Zaleski, the city’s economic development director.
Funds may be used for relocation incentives, marketing campaigns, programming and administration. Each grant has clear goals for the number of new households to be relocated, with eligibility requirements such as income thresholds and out-ofstate residency. To ensure accountability, 50% of the award is provided upfront, with the balance released only after communities achieve half of their relocation targets.
“Working with the state Legislature, communities across Kansas are stepping up with their own resources and plans to address residential recruitment and retention issues,” said Johnson.
The $1.5 million was awarded to the following communities: City of Kingman – $76,800 City of Neodesha – $40,000 City of Parsons – $73,200 Dodge City / Ford County Development – $211,374 Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce – $167,362 Hutchinson / Reno County Chamber of Commerce – $225,000 Lincoln County Economic Development – $53,340 McPherson County Community Foundation – $72,000 Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce – $145,600 Choose Ottawa County – $73,156 Riley County – $187,084 Salina Area Chamber of Commerce – $175,084
