BOONE, Iowa—The Boone County Community Endowment Board has awarded $142,179 to 22 local organizations. These grant funds are anticipated to leverage another $1,412,423 in total project spending.
The 22 grant recipients were announced on April 22. “We received 27 grant applications requesting $206,279. Our wishes are to grow the endowment resources as there are so many needy and worthwhile projects throughout the county,” said Nick Lentz, Chair of the Community Endowment Board.
This was the sixteenth time that the Boone County Community Endowment has engaged in grantmaking. The first awards were made in 2006 where 10 grants were awarded totaling $42,883. To date, $1,594,088 has been distributed in Boone County from the BCCEF utilizing our 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.
We would also like to recognize the donors who contributed to our Fill The Gap campaign this year, in particular the Leonard Good Trust, Fareway and Vision Bank.
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 Lentz. “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 Lentz. There are currently 32 funds established.
| Applicant | Project | $ Awarded |
| Boone Area Humane Society | Upgrades to animal shelter | $3,124 |
| Boone County Fair Board | Public safety and health | $11,900 |
| Boone County Conservation Bd | High Trestle Trail at Swede Point | $14,000 |
| Boone County ISU Extension & 4H | Educational kitchen | $12,000 |
| Boone Community Theatre | Mobile theatre | $5,000 |
| Boone Fire Dept | External defibrillator | $3,886 |
| Boone County Probation | Probation services and virtual support | $1,000 |
| Camp Hantesa | Summer 2021 COVID precautions | $5,000 |
| Children and Family Resources | COVID 19 pandemic relief for families | $4,000 |
| City of Boxholm Master Gardeners | Donation garden | $1,800 |
| Community and Family Resources | EMDR therapy training | $4,156 |
| Friends High Trestle | Bird friendly bridge | $11,350 |
| Friends Ledges | Shower building upgrade | $10,000 |
| Heart IA Habitat Humanity | Home building | $7,000 |
| IA Gardening Good | Volunteer garden for food pantries | $6,000 |
| IA Legal Aid | Family stabilizing project | $5,000 |
| Ogden Athletic Boosters | Wrestling mats | $5,163 |
| Ogden Music Boosters | Grand piano | $5,000 |
| Sacred Heart School | Playground/parking lot re-surface | $5,000 |
| Shelter Housing Corp | Homeless to Housed program | $10,000 |
| Trinity Lutheran School | Energy efficient windows | $5,800 |
| YSS | Kids Club summer program | $6,000 |
