About Us

 

Dallas County Foundation Grants to Dallas County People for Dallas County Projects

 

Who We Are 

The Dallas County Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of dedicated leaders from across the entire county. We meet monthly, generally on the third Monday of each month. All of our board members are committed to trustworthy stewardship of donor dollars and eager to support community members in making a local impact.

 
 

Meet Our Board

 
 

 Who We Work With

 

Donors

As a foundation, we are here to help generous donors who want their charitable giving to make a long-lasting impact on the communities they love and call home.

We offer a wide range of giving options, for gifts big and small. You’d be surprised how quickly even $25 donations add up!

If you decide to ‘Give Where You Live’, we have a variety of tools and assistance for individuals, families, and businesses to contribute to a local cause or situation that matters deeply to them.

Professional Advisors

The impact of our foundation would not be possible without the community of professional attorneys, accountants, financial planners, bankers, and life insurance representatives that work with our foundation and donors.

These professional advisors make themselves available to help donors align their passions with planning. Because of their efforts, our foundation can help integrate charitable giving within estate and financial plans, facilitate anonymous giving, and assist with complex gift instruments.

Non-Profit Organizations

As a responsive and proactive partner, our foundation seeks to address existing and emerging issues in Dallas County.

We accept grant applications annually from charitable projects and programs in the community that address a wide range of needs:

  • Health

  • Human Services

  • Arts & Culture

  • Historic Preservation

  • Environment

 

Where We’re Going

Our mission and vision is to enhance the quality of life for Dallas County communities through fostering private giving and strengthening local non-profit organization by granting funds for projects in the following areas:

 
 

Arts & Culture

Youth Development

Education

Health and Human Services

Recreation

Environment

Community Betterment

 
 
 

How We Got Started 

The Dallas County Foundation (DCF) was formed in 2005 when the Iowa State Legislature created the Endow Iowa program whereby Iowa Counties that do not have gaming facilities could receive funds directly from the State intending that eligible counties form or affiliate with a qualified community foundation to receive the funds, grant them in to the community and build a permanent endowment fund for future community betterment grants.

Community leaders Dean Boettcher, Scott Cirksena, Bob Sturgeon, Marty Glanz, Viivi Shirley, Steve Brody, and Chuck Fagen met with Rand Fisher from the Iowa Area Development Group to learn how to bring these dollars to Dallas County to benefit local non-profits. The first step was to create a board with representation from across the county.

Once the groundwork was laid, the money arrived! The DCF began issuing funds in 2006. Since then, the DCF has granted more than $1,565,000.