At its first annual grant celebration event, the Page County Community Foundation, in partnership with the Clarinda Foundation and the Greater Shenandoah Foundation, honored 19 nonprofit organizations and community projects that received grants throughout the past year. These honorees included both spring and fall grant recipients, who were awarded a collective sum of over $103,000.

Spring 2021 Grant Recipients:

  • City of Coin – $1,000, City Park Improvement
  • Clarinda Community Trail Committee – $12,500, Community Trail Phase 2
  • Clarinda Economic Development Corporation – $2,830, Day of Service Tools
  • Clarinda Fire Department – $6,700, Community Safety and Fire Communications
  • Essex Child Center – $8,075.33, Center Improvements and Upgrades
  • Grandma’s House Daycare – $9,750, Air Conditioner Replacement
  • Page County Public Health – $20,000, COVID-19 Vaccination Program
  • Shenandoah Fire Department – $2,481.20, Decondition Bags and Cleaner
  • Shenandoah Medical Center Foundation – $5,082.41, Purchase of a GE Vscan
  • Shenandoah Parks and Recreation – $10,000, Priest Park All-Inclusive Playground
  • Shenandoah Pregnancy and Resource Center – $449.40, Facility Signage
  • Southwest Iowa Families, Inc. – $20,000, Child and Family Center
  • Wabash Trace Nature Trail – $5,000, Wabash Depot Renovation

Fall 2021 Grant Recipients:

  • Nodaway Valley Historical Society – $3,000, General Operating Support for Nodaway Valley Historical Museum
  • Page County Conservation – $3,000, Rapp Park Extension
  • Southwest Iowa Families – $6,000, County- wide Rent and Utility Assistance Program
  • City of Clarinda – $1,166.66 , Clarinda Fire Department
  • City of Shenandoah – $1,166.66 , Shenandoah Fire Department
  • City of Essex – $1,166.67 , Essex Fire Department
  • City of College Springs – $1,166.67 , College Springs Fire Department
  • City of Coin – $1,166.67 , Coin Fire Department
  • City of Braddyville – $1,166.67 , Braddyville Fire Department

In Spring 2021, the Foundation received a total of 23 grant applications, with over $285,000 requested. As a part of this grant cycle, the Page County Community Foundation awarded $103,868 to 13 of these 23 applications. Along with this, the Foundation awarded $19,000 to local fire departments and community projects in the fall. “In 2021, we’ve been able to fund a wide array of projects and programs,” said Board Chair Mandy Fielder. “Grants were awarded to support construction and renovation, recreational activities, and 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 Page County.”

Each year, the Page County Community Foundation accepts applications for its spring grant cycle and awards initiative-based funding to deserving, qualified nonprofits and local municipalities serving Page County in the fall. “Since the Foundation was established in 2004, it has distributed over $2.3 million in grants,” said Iowa Foundations Director Stacey Goodman. “Through the generosity of donors, along with our participation in the County Endowment Fund Program, we are able to continue to invest valuable resources back into communities across Page County.”

The Page 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 initiative-based funding in the fall is made possible through the generosity of donors to the Page 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 Page County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit. 

The Page County Community Foundation Advisory Board Members are Chair, Mandy Fielder of Shenandoah; Vice Chair, Mark Walter of Clarinda; Secretary/Treasurer, Brian Steinkuehler of Shenandoah; Marlene Bashaw of Shenandoah; Scott Brown of Clarinda, and Pam Herzberg of Clarinda.

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.