April 24, 2025 – The Grundy County Community Foundation (GCCF) held its 2025 Celebration of Community at the Grundy Center Community Center on April 23, announcing the distribution of $140,243.51 to 20 projects of organizations serving Grundy County through its 2025 grant cycle.

Grant recipient, organization, project the grant will fund, and grant amount is listed below by funding area.

Program Area: Arts & Culture

• Grundy County Agricultural Society - Fairgrounds Facility Lighting Upgrades - $13,613.42

Program Area: Community Betterment

• City of Beaman - Fire Department - SCBA - $10,000.00
• City of Conrad - Fire Department - Suppression Equipment - $14,426.00
• City of Dike - Library - Building Updates - $5,100.00
• City of Grundy Center - Fire Department - Helmets - $6,989.60
• City of Holland - Fire Department - Helmets, TIC's, and Gloves - $10,000.00
• City of Stout - Building and Apparatus Upgrades - $5,000.00
• Wellsburg Fire and Rescue Foundation Inc. - Equipment Updates - $2,500.00

Program Area: Education & Youth Development

• City of Grundy Center - Library - STEAM Learning Kit - $1,818.00
• Dike-New Hartford Community School District - Pedal & Read: Moving Minds and Balancing Emotions - $3,676.32
• Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community Schools - Enhancing Support for Diverse Student Needs - $5,000.00
• Grundy Community Preschool and Childcare Center - Technology and New Building Upgrades - $4,820.17

Program Area: Environment & Animal Welfare

• Grundy County Heritage Foundation - Completion of Pioneer Trail - $12,500.00

Program Area: Health

• Grundy County ISU Extension - Mental Health First Aid Training - $8,300.00
• Grundy County Memorial Hospital - Public Benches - $4,000.00

Program Area: Human Service

• Families Helping Families of Iowa - Program Support for Grundy County - $4,500.00
• Fostering Families Together - 2025 Events - $1,000.00
• Lutheran Services in Iowa - Families Together II in Grundy County - $2,000.00
• Northeast Iowa Food Bank - Feeding Communities - $15,000.00
• Operation Threshold, Inc. - Grundy County Crisis Assistance - $10,000.00

Decisions on grant awards are determined by a local committee, which consists of volunteers from Grundy County. Committee members include Lexie Hach (Co-Chair), Adam Bentley, Dennis Evans, Jeffrey Frank (Co-Chair), Nicholas Jans, Pamela Jones, Dorothea Olson, Jake Pabst (Treasurer), Carol Petersen, Kristen Reichert (Secretary), and David Robinson.

Grants are awarded through GCCF’s competitive grant process to projects in the program areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education and youth development, environment and animal welfare, health and human service. Grant applicants must be a 501(c)(3) designated organization or government entity serving Grundy County in order to be considered for funding. The 2026 grant cycle opens November 15 with an application deadline of January 15. The grant guidelines and application can be found at www.grundyccf.org.

To learn more about GCCF and how to get involved, contact Erin Schildroth, GCCF Community Liaison, at eschildroth@grundyccf.org.