At its first annual grant celebration event, the Montgomery County Community Foundation honored 23 nonprofit organizations and community projects that received grants throughout the past year. These honorees included both spring and fall grant recipients from both Spring and Fall 2021, who were awarded a collective sum of over $135,000.

Spring 2021 Grant Recipients:

  • City of Villisca – $7,500, City Park Updates
  • Elliott Community Club – $10,500, Elliott Community Building Floor Update
  • Elliott Volunteer Fire Department – $2,000, SCBA Masks
  • Friends of Hacklebarney Trails Inc. – $6,500, Hacklebarney Trail Improvement
  • Montgomery County Family YMCA – $5,000, Additional Member Safety for COVID-19
  • Montgomery County History Center – $1,000, Johnson Hotel Display
  • Nishna Productions, Inc. – $4,600, Concrete Work at Three Sites
  • Project Porchlight – $1,750, Project Backpack
  • Red Oak Child Development Center – $5,870, Classroom/Curriculum Impact Equipment
  • Red Oak Community School District – $5,000, A Playground with Purpose
  • Red Oak Grand Theatre, Inc. – $20,000, Expand the Grand Capital Campaign
  • Red Oak Public Library – $2,500, Technology Access for All
  • Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Inc. – $3,800, Building Beds
  • Southwest Iowa Fishing Team, Inc. – $2,500, Fish Habitat Conservation Project
  • Stanton Historical Society – $2,000, Preserving Hallquist Videos
  • Stanton Viking Center – $9,000, Chairs, Tables, and Storage Racks
  • Sunshine ‘N Rainbows Childcare Center – $8,650, Center Siding Project
  • Villisca Public Library – $700, Technology Update
  • Wilson Performing Arts Center – $5,000, Wilson Music Park

Fall 2021 Grant Recipients:

  • City of Villisca – $750, City Hall Makeover
  • Friends of the Red Oak Trails – $750, East Parking Lot Landscaping Project
  • Montgomery County Family YMCA – $1,500, Water Feature Update
  • Nishna Productions, Inc. – $2,748, Residential Automated External Defibrillators (AED)
  • Red Oak Child Development Center – $2,285, Playground Mulch Project
  • Red Oak Grand Theatre, Inc. – $6,500, Capital Campaign Donor Recognition Walls
  • Southwest Iowa Fishing Team, Inc – $4,350, Fish Habitat Conservation Project
  • Southwest Valley Schools – Enarson Elementary – $1,600, Enarson Elementary Outdoor Classroom Project
  • Stanton Community Foundation – $1,500, Stanton Community Artwork
  • The Restored Burlington Northern Depot & World War II Memorial Museum – $4,000, Stabilization of Museum Foundation Walls
  • Viking Center – $510, Flagpole Project
  • Villisca Public Library – $1,307, Lighting Upgrade
  • Wilson Performing Arts Center – $5,000, Wilson Music Park Instrument

Throughout 2021, the Foundation received a total of 39 grant applications from community organizations, with over $235,000 requested. As a part of its two grant cycles, the Montgomery County Community Foundation awarded $136,670 to 32 of these 39 applications. “In 2021, we’ve been able to fund a wide array of projects,” said Board Chair James Norris. “Grants were awarded to support conservation and construction throughout the county, as well as many more projects that will have a positive effect on our community members—both young and old. We’re proud of the impact of the Foundation, and we’re glad to have this opportunity to celebrate the important work of these organizations throughout Montgomery County.”

Each year, the Montgomery County Community Foundation holds two grant cycles with an objective to fund projects that will have a lasting impact in the county. “Since the Foundation was established in 1998, it has distributed over $2.2 million in grants and scholarships,” said Iowa Foundations Director Stacey Goodman. “Through the generosity of donors and charitable funds allocated through the community foundation, along with our participation in the County Endowment Fund Program, we are able to continue to invest valuable resources back into communities across Montgomery County.”

The Montgomery County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Omaha Community Foundation, which meets National Standards for Community Foundations, and is one of nine county members of the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa. It annually receives funds from the State of Iowa County Endowment Fund Program for endowment building and grantmaking throughout the county. The spring cycle of grants is made possible through the County Endowment Fund Program, and is funded by a percentage of the state’s commercial gaming tax revenue, which is distributed annually to participating community foundations associated with counties without a state-issued gaming license.  

The Foundation’s fall grant cycle is made possible through the generosity of donors to the Montgomery County Community Foundation. The Foundation works with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create permanent and expendable funds that address changing, vital community needs and interests. Gifts to permanently endowed funds through the Montgomery County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit. 

The Montgomery County Community Foundation Advisory Board Members are Chair, James Norris of Red Oak; Vice Chair, Bruce Swanson, Esq. of Red Oak; Secretary/Treasurer, Kevin Britten of Red Oak; Dennis D. Bloom, Esq. of Red Oak; Brian LaRette of Red Oak; Jenna Ramsey of Stanton; Donna Robinson of Villisca; Kim Robinson of Red Oak; and John Tischer of Elliott.

For information about donating or establishing an individual foundation/fund, please contact Stacey Goodman, Iowa Foundations Director, at 800-794-3458 or stacey@omahafoundation.org.