The Friends Development Fund directs nearly all of its giving to the Quaker (Friends) religious community in Iowa, concentrating on congregational support, mission work, clergy support, and youth camping. Grants are primarily operational and program support payments (church extension, retired ministers, missions, leadership development and scholarships), often routed to the Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends and its affiliated camp. Its giving is local and denomination-specific rather than broadly ecumenical or secular.
Friends Development Fund Inc centers its giving on the Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends, and that recurring grant is its clearest signal of purpose. Year after year, the foundation routes the largest share of support through that Oskaloosa-based Quaker network for church extension, support for retired ministers and missionaries, missions, leadership development, educational scholarships, and Mesquakie Friends ministry in Tama County. The pattern shows a funder that strengthens one religious community through multiple connected needs rather than through broad, open-ended grantmaking. Its recent records also show direct support for Camp Quaker Heights in Eldora, tying the foundation’s work to youth camping and Christian camp operations. The gifts are mostly operational and program support, with the main Yearly Meeting award broken into specific line items that include grounds upkeep alongside clergy, mission, and education support. Taken together, the grants point to a local, denomination-specific funder focused on institutional continuity, clergy care, and faith-based community life in Iowa.
A central theme in Friends Development Fund Inc’s grantmaking is congregational infrastructure. In 2025, it gave $52,902 to Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends for church extension, retired ministers and missionaries support, missions, leadership development, educational scholarships, Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA, and grounds upkeep. The foundation also supports clergy and missionary care within the Friends network. The same 2025 grant to Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends included $18,799 for retired ministers and missionaries support. Youth ministry is another clear thread. In 2025, Friends Development Fund Inc granted $6,473 to Camp Quaker Heights for Christian camp operations. Educational support appears in the grant breakdown as well, with $1,541 directed to educational scholarships in the 2025 Yearly Meeting award.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $6,100 at the 25th percentile, $26,827 at the median, and $48,444 at the 75th percentile. That spread matches a pattern of a few larger institutional awards alongside smaller operating grants. The recent record shows repeated support across 2023, 2024, and 2025 for the same recipients, indicating recurring relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation is not listed as a fund for individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its giving is local, with all recent grants going to recipients in Iowa.
$167K
$1.6M
$122K
$76K
Most grants fall between $6K and $48K, with a median of $27K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$27K
75th Percentile
$48K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in IA.
John Good
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Highly concentrated and denominational: almost all dollars go to the Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends and a closely affiliated camp, with multiple repeat grants across a single year. Grants are modest-to-medium sized and focused on operational and program support rather than one-off capital projects or broad geographic diversification.
Notable grantees: Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends, Camp Quaker Heights, Mesquakie Friends (program support in Tama, IA)
All recent grants in the data went to U.S. recipients, and every grant landed in Iowa. Oskaloosa appears as the location for Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends, while Camp Quaker Heights is in Eldora. Tama County is reflected through support for Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA within the Yearly Meeting grant. The recipient pattern is therefore concentrated in a small set of Iowa communities rather than spread across multiple states or countries.
It supports Quaker and Friends-related organizations in Iowa, especially Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends and Camp Quaker Heights. The recent grants also include line items for church extension, retired ministers and missionaries support, missions, leadership development, educational scholarships, and Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA.
Typical grant size is $6,100 at the 25th percentile, $26,827 at the median, and $48,444 at the 75th percentile. That range shows both smaller operating grants and larger institutional awards.
Yes. Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Camp Quaker Heights appears in each of those years as well. The repeated awards show ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts.
Its giving is local and all recent grants went to recipients in Iowa. Named recipient locations in the data include Oskaloosa and Eldora, with Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA also included in the Yearly Meeting award.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends | Oskaloosa, IA | $52,902 | 2025 | Church Extension $25,180, Retired Ministers and Missionaries Support $18,799, Missions $4,217, Leadership Development $2,471, Educational Scholarships $1,541, Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA $648, Grounds Upkeep $46. |
| Camp Quaker Heights | Eldora, IA | $6,473 | 2025 | Christian Camp operations |
| Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends | Oskaloosa, IA | $48,865 | 2024 | Church Extension 23,258, Retired Ministers and Missionaries support 17,365, Missions 4311, Leadership Development 2282, Educational Scholarships 1423, Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA 184, Grounds Upkeep 42, |
| Camp Quaker Heights | Eldora, IA | $5,976 | 2024 | Christian camp operations |
| Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends | Oskaloosa, IA | $47,181 | 2023 | Church Extension 22,457, Retired Ministers and Missionaries support 16,767, Missions 4,162, Leadership Development 2,203, Educational Scholarships 1,374, Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA 177, Grounds upkeep 41. |
| Camp Quaker Heights | Eldora, IA | $5,770 | 2023 | Christian camp operations |
Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends
$52,902Church Extension $25,180, Retired Ministers and Missionaries Support $18,799, Missions $4,217, Leadership Development $2,471, Educational Scholarships $1,541, Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA $648, Grounds Upkeep $46.
Camp Quaker Heights
$6,473Christian Camp operations
Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends
$48,865Church Extension 23,258, Retired Ministers and Missionaries support 17,365, Missions 4311, Leadership Development 2282, Educational Scholarships 1423, Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA 184, Grounds Upkeep 42,
Camp Quaker Heights
$5,976Christian camp operations
Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends
$47,181Church Extension 22,457, Retired Ministers and Missionaries support 16,767, Missions 4,162, Leadership Development 2,203, Educational Scholarships 1,374, Mesquakie Friends in Tama, IA 177, Grounds upkeep 41.
Camp Quaker Heights
$5,770Christian camp operations