The Winneshiek County Community Foundation (WCCF) held its 2025 grant awards celebration at Luther College on March 27, announcing the distribution of $160,519.01 to 19 projects of organi-zations serving Winneshiek County through its 2025 grant cycle.

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

Program Area: Arts & Culture

• ArtHaus Inc - ArtHaus Tech Lab Improvements - $14,172.21
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum - Burr Oak Mercantile Restoration - $8,000.00
• Winneshiek County Historical Society - Crucial Technology Updates and Additions - $4,360.88

Program Area: Community Betterment

• City of Decorah - Parks & Rec - Dunning's Spring Park Steps - $3,961.20
• City of Fort Atkinson - Community Center Park Improvements - $12,000.00
• City of Waucoma - New Waucoma Fire Station - $10,000.00
• Civic Improvement Association - Bathroom Updates - $6,000.00
• Decorah Volunteer Fire Dept Association - Decorah Fire Dept Personnel Safety Visibility - $6,000.00
• Fort Atkinson Firefighter's Association - 2025 Safety Gear - $9,827.00
• Protivin Firefighters Inc - Wildland Fire Response Apparatus-Winn - $10,000.00

Program Area: Education & Youth Development

• Decorah Community School District - Business Education - Hardware/Software Upgrade - $16,900.00
• Decorah Community School District - Elementary - Books for Young Learners - $10,130.00
• Toys Go 'Round Lending Library - Updating S.T.E.A.M. and Large Motor Toy Collection - $3,450.00

Program Area: Health

• Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health, Inc. - NEIBH Drop-In Youth Center - $12,867.72
• WinnMed Foundation - Transforming Tomorrow - Clinic Expansion - $11,850.00

Program Area: Human Service

• Allamakee New Beginnings - Iowa Food Hub - Cold Storage Expansion for Local Foods - $5,000.00
• Northeast Iowa Community Action - NEICAC Crisis Assistance Program - $10,000.00
• Northeast Iowa Food Bank - Feeding Communities - $3,000.00
• Riverview Center, Inc. - Winneshiek County Sexual Assault Crisis Response - $3,000.00

Decisions on grant awards are determined by a local committee, which consists of volunteers from Winneshiek County. Committee members include Lilly Jensen (Chair), Jean Boyer, Charles Crain, Tracy Dostal, Terry Haindfield, Chelsey Kephart, Terry Linderbaum, Keith Newhouse, Mae Schmitt, and Warren Shuros. WCCF funds established by generous donors contributing to the discretionary grant process include the Dick Guilgot and Barb Sokol Fund, the Elwin and Helen Farwell Memorial Fund, and an Anonymous Winneshiek County Endowment Fund.

Grants are awarded through WCCF’s competitive grant process to projects in the program areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education and youth development, environment and an-imal welfare, health and human service. Grant applicants must be a 501(c)(3) designated organiza-tion or government entity serving WinneshiekCounty in order to be considered for funding. The 2026 grant cycle opens November15 with an application deadline of January 15. The grant guide-lines and application can be found at www.winneshiekccf.org.