BOONE, Iowa—The Boone County Community Endowment Board has awarded $143,217 to 24 local organizations. These grants funds are anticipated to leverage another $632,688 in total project spending.
The 24 grant recipients were announced at a special celebration held at the Cedars in Madrid Thursday evening. Mike Tungesvik, Chair of the Community Endowment Board says “We received 31 grant applications requesting $234,071. We wish that we had more resources at the Endowment because we know there are many needs and worthy projects throughout the county.”
This was the fourteenth time that the Boone County Community Endowment has engaged in grant making. The first awards were made in 2006 when 10 grants were awarded totaling $42,883. In 2019, $143,217 were granted to 24 recipients. To date, $1,263,448 has been distributed in Boone County from the BCCEF utilizing it’s granting process. The Endowment receives funds annually from the County Endowment Fund legislation. Starting in 2016, Boone County is also the recipient of funds from Grow Greene County, a philanthropic associate of the Wild Rose Casino in Jefferson.
The Boone County Community Endowment Fund Board was organized by representatives from throughout Boone County. “Our mission involves helping the communities and non-profit organizations of the county,” said Tungesvik. “We want to partner with communities and non-profit organizations to help them with programs and projects that might otherwise not be available to the individuals, families and visitors to our county.”
As an affiliate Endowment, the Boone County Community Endowment can assist donors who wish to make outright and testamentary gifts of support to our Endowment or other charitable organizations in the county. “It is possible for local charitable organizations to establish their own funds and benefit from special tax credits and the professional expertise and investment management we help provide,” said Tungesvik. There are currently 28 funds established.
This years recipients include:
| Applicant | Project | Award | |
| ACCESS- Assault Care Center | Safe Housing | $ 4,000 | |
| Boone Extended Preschool BEP | Boost up BEP, Build foundation | $ 3,581 | |
| Children and Families of Iowa | Keeping Families Safe | $ 3,500 | |
| Community and Family Resources | Accessibility Resources | $ 3,500 | |
| Boone County Conservation | Campground C Upgrades | $ 15,491 | |
| Boone County Fair Board | Sound System Upgrade | $ 7,000 | |
| Friends of the Ledges | Play Ground Renovation | $ 12,500 | |
| Genesis Development | Explorers summer camp 19 | $ 7,000 | |
| Heart of Iowa Habitat for Humanity | Helping Hands Critical Home Repair | $ 7,000 | |
| HIRTA Heart of Iowa Regional Transportation Authority | transportation to essential services | $ 5,000 | |
| Boone County Hospital Foundation | Patient room remodel | $ 7,000 | |
| Boone Area Humane Society | Dog exercise/play area improvements | $ 2,705 | |
| Iowa Gardening for Good | Volunteer Gardening for Food Pantries | $ 6,000 | |
| Iowa College Access Network ICAN | Life after High School, Ed & Training | $ 2,000 | |
| IMPACT Community Action | Brick Repair | $ 5,000 | |
| Boone Co 4-H & ISU Extension | Educational Kitchen | $ 7,000 | |
| Lutheran Services of IA | Crisis Childcare Program | $ 2,000 | |
| Madrid Historical Society | Upgrade Educational Displays | $ 3,360 | |
| Boone County Probation | Office upgrades for security | $ 5,500 | |
| Rotary Club of Boone | Centennial welcome train | $ 15,000 | |
| Trinity Lutheran School | Install new windows in classrooms | $ 3,580 | |
| Y Camp | Ceramics Program | $ 3,500 | |
| YMCA in Boone | Handicapped accessibility/ Family Locker room | $ 7,000 | |
| Youth & Shelter Services | YSS Kids Club Summer Program | $ 5,000 |
Front Row(left to right)-
1 Lisa Mount, Boone Rotary; 2 Amber Ahrens, IMPACT; 3 Sara Morton, Genesis Development; 4 Michelle DeLaRiva, Community and Family Resources; 5 Andrea Weber, Boone PTO; 6 Alma Shell, Madrid Historical Society
Second Row(left to right)-
1 Kim Adams, Boone Area Humane Society; 2 Sara Klute Behn, Boone County Hospital Foundation; 3 Alex Merk, ISU Extension & Boone County 4-H; 4 Virginia Griesheimer, ACCESS Assault Care Center; 5 Stacy Hoskins, Children and Families of Iowa; 6 Diane Hinderaker, Boone County Probation; 7 Halle Heyer and Jess Heyer, Friends of the Ledges
Back Row(left to right)-
1 Ashley Fitzgerald, Boone County Fair Association; 2 Erick Danielson, Iowa College Access Network; 3 Rachel Mann, Trinity Lutheran School; 4 Tracy Blackmer, Iowa Gardening for Good; 5 Tanner Scheuermann, Boone County Conservation; 6 Vicki Greco, Boone YMCA; 7 Tina Palmer, YSS of Boone County; 8 Nick Lentz, Habitat for Humanity; 9 Breanna Chopard, LSI Crisis Child Care; 10 Brook Ramsey, HIRTA, Heart of Iowa Regional Transportation Agency; 11 Alex Kretzinger, Des Moines Y Camp
