At its first annual grant celebration event, the Shelby 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, who were awarded a collective sum of over $145,000.

Spring 2021 Grant Recipients:

  • Concerned, Inc. – $1,500, Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
  • Country Care Center Corporation – $500, Personal Protection Equipment
  • Defiance Fire and Rescue Department – $11,000, Personal Fire Protection Gear
  • Earling Fire and Rescue Department – $7,583, Grain Bin Rescue Tube Equipment
  • Elk Horn Fire Department – $5,000, SCBA Replacement
  • Elk Horn Public Library – $1,000, Retaining Wall Landscaping
  • Friends of Harlan City Parks – $8,600, Pioneer Park Pond Upgrade
  • Harlan Community Library – $8,500, Fire Alarm System
  • Irwin Fire and Rescue Association – $11,000, Safety Personal Protective Equipment
  • Loess Hills Agriculture in the Classroom – $500, Virtual Lessons and Activity Kits
  • Museum of Danish America – $8,000, Wetland Restoration and Visitor Overlook
  • Portsmouth Volunteer Fire Department – $11,000, Firefighter Protective Turnout Gear Replacement
  • Shelby County Community Outreach – $10,000, COVID Relief Operational Support
  • Shelby County Fair Corporation – $3,000, Update Building and Grounds Lighting
  • Shelby Fire and Rescue – $11,000, Zoll X Series Monitor/Defibrillators
  • Southwest Iowa Fishing Team, Inc. – $3,000, Fish Habitat Conservation Project
  • Time for Tots Early Learning Center – $2,141, Youth Development and Safety
  • West Central Community Action – $546, Clothing Room Book Cart

Fall 2021 Grant Recipients:

  • Danish Windmill – $2,000, VikingHjem Roof Replacement
  • Defiance Fire and Rescue Department – $2,000, Building Lighting Upgrade
  • Elk Horn Fire Department – $4,470, SCBA Masks
  • Elk Horn Public Library – $1,500, Children’s Section Carpet Replacement
  • Friends of Harlan City  Parks – $3,800, Replacement of Water Fountains
  • Harlan Swim Team – $1,571, Starting Block Tops and Covers
  • Iowa Community Kitchen – $2,000, Two New Freezers
  • Irwin Fire and Rescue Association – $4,500, Personal Protective Equipment
  • Kirkman Fire Department – $4,500, Furnace A/C Unit Replacement
  • Petersen Family Wellness Center – $3,200, Pool Safety Equipment
  • Portsmouth Volunteer Fire Department – $4,500, Firefighter Protective Turnout Gear Replacement
  • Shelby County Community Outreach – $5,000, Operational Funds
  • Shelby Fire and Rescue – $3,327, Firefighter Extinguishing and Suppression Equipment
  • West Central Community Action – $232, Food Pantry Utility Cart

Throughout 2021, the Foundation received a total of 49 grant applications, with over $470,000 requested. As a part of its two grant cycles, the Shelby County Community Foundation awarded $146,470 to 32 of these 49 applications. “In 2021, we’ve been able to fund a wide array of projects and programs,” said Board Chair Brock Darling. “Grants were awarded to support recreation, construction, and fire and rescue organizations 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 in Shelby County.”

Each year, the Shelby 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 $3.5 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 Shelby County.”

The Shelby 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 grant cycle 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 generous donors to the Shelby 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 Shelby County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit. 

The Shelby County Community Foundation Advisory Board Members are Chair, Brock Darling of Irwin; Vice Chair, Kristy Hansen, CPA of Harlan; Secretary/Treasurer, Michael Riley of Harlan; Jodee Dixon of Elk Horn; Leona Konz of Shelby; and Max Powers of Defiance.

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.