The Grundy County Community Foundation (GCCF) held its 2022 grant awards celebration at the Grundy Center Community Center on April 27, announcing the distribution of $132,397.72 to 20 projects of organizations serving Grundy County through its 2022 grant cycle.

"We are pleased to award 2022 grants to community organizations representing the areas of community betterment, education and youth development, health and human service as they support the needs of their individual communities and Grundy County as a whole. The Grundy County Community Foundation has been awarding grants for 16 years, and our goal is to continue to establish and grow funds that can be distributed back out into the community,” said Lexie Hach, co-chair of the GCCF.

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

Community Betterment

• City of Beaman, Fire Department – Large Diameter Hose, $6,300
• City of Conrad, Visioning Committee – 4 Seasons Park Playground Equipment, $10,000
• City of Dike, Library – MakerSpace, $3,000
• City of Grundy Center, Aquatic Center – Pool Slide Project, $8,500
• City of Grundy Center, Fire Department – New SCBA Tanks, $16,428
• City of Grundy Center, Park Board – Picnic Table Replacement Project, $9,000
• City of Holland, Fire Department – Gear/Airpacks/Pagers, $4,500
• Community Enrichment Center of Reinbeck, Here for Everybody! Project, $14,300
• Reinbeck Firemen, Inc, Firefighting Nozzles Upgrade, $6,000

Education & Youth Development

• Dike-New Hartford Community School District, Art/Photography Department – Digital Maker Space, $3,000
• Dike-New Hartford Community School District, Industrial Technology – Implementing Laser Engraving into a Manufacturing Classroom, $5,000
• Iowa College Access Network, Career and College Attainment Post COIVD, $2,000
• Joyful Noise Daycare and Preschool, Kitchen Improvement – Update Refrigerators, $1,478
• UnityPoint Health Marshalltown – Grundy Center Family Medicine, UPH Grundy Center Family Medicine: Reach Out and Read Program – 2022, $1,859

Health

• City of Conrad, BCERT – Radio, $6,700
• Grundy County Memorial Hospital, Emergency Trauma Care, $3,995

Human Service

• Lutheran Services in Iowa, Families Together II in Grundy County, $4,000
• Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, NEI3A Grundy County Congregate and Home Delivered Meals Program, $5,000
• Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Feeding Families, $12,837.72
• Operation Threshold, Inc, Grundy County Crisis Assistance, $8,500

Decisions on grant awards are determined by a local committee, which consists of volunteers from Grundy County. Committee members include: Jessica Eilers, Jeffrey Frank (co-chair), Lexie Hach (co-chair), Nick Jans, Jen Jensen (co-chair), Brandi Morris, Jake Pabst and Angie Thesing.

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 2023 grant cycle opens October 15, 2022 with an application deadline of December 31, 2022. The grant guidelines and application can be found at www.grundyccf.org.