Great River Foundation Inc. is a narrowly focused health-sector funder that made very large, one-time asset transfers tied to corporate transactions. Its giving appears driven by hospital-system merger/sale activity and redistribution of proceeds to regional healthcare institutions, concentrating support on Southeast Iowa medical infrastructure rather than broad programmatic grants.
Extremely concentrated, one-off large disbursements linked to corporate/asset transactions (two very large grants totaling the foundation's reported giving); not a pattern of recurring, small grants or diversified portfolios.
Great River Foundation Inc. is defined by a single 2024 transfer of assets tied to a merger: $176,036,809 went to Grhs Holdings Inc in West Burlington, Iowa. That transaction-driven grantmaking profile shapes the foundation’s public record, which is dominated by very large distributions connected to healthcare consolidation and the movement of assets after organizational change. A second 2024 grant of $10,000,000 went to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Inc, also in West Burlington, as a distribution of proceeds from the sale of assets. Together, these grants point to a funder that functions less like a conventional open grantmaker and more like a vehicle for reallocating hospital-related capital in Southeast Iowa. The pattern is reinforced by the foundation’s stated focus on asset transfers, endowment funding tied to hospital mergers and consolidations, and capital and operating support following healthcare facility sales. Its recent record centers on regional medical infrastructure rather than a broad portfolio of program grants.
The foundation’s clearest cause area is healthcare restructuring. In 2024, it made a $176,036,809 contribution of assets due to merger to Grhs Holdings Inc in West Burlington, Iowa, showing how closely its funding is tied to organizational consolidation. A second major grant, $10,000,000 to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Inc, supported the distribution of proceeds from the sale of assets and points to continued support for regional hospital systems after asset changes. Beyond large transaction-based transfers, Great River Foundation Inc. also maintains community-facing healthcare support through its Community Donations & Sponsorships Support Request Form, which accepts requests for donations, sponsorships, tours, and event representation from organizations in Southeast Iowa, Western Illinois, and Northeast Missouri. The foundation also administers scholarships for health careers, including the Tracey Howe Scholarship and the Kathleen Canella Family Scholarship.
Grant size is highly concentrated at the top end: the 25th percentile is $51,509,202, the median is $93,018,404, and the 75th percentile is $134,527,607. That spread reflects unusually large, one-time transfers rather than a broad ladder of small awards. The recent record shows asset-transfer activity tied to merger and sale events, with both listed grants occurring in 2024. The foundation is locally focused, and all reported recipient grants go to organizations in Iowa. It also includes an online Support Request Form for donations, sponsorships, tours, and event representation, indicating a separate community-request channel alongside the transaction-related distributions.
Current and upcoming funding from Great River Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations seeking donations, sponsorships, tours, or event representation should submit requests via the Foundation's Support Request Form. Specific eligibility details are not provided on the site.
$186M
$0
$5.2M
$186M
Most grants fall between $51.5M and $134.5M, with a median of $93M.
25th Percentile
$51.5M
Median
$93M
75th Percentile
$134.5M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in IA.
MATT WENZEL
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Notable grantees: GRHS Holdings Inc., Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Inc.
Great River Foundation Inc. gives locally, and the recipient distribution is entirely in the United States. The strongest concentration is in Iowa, which accounts for 100% of grants by recipient location and is also the top state by grant count. Recent recipients include organizations in West Burlington, Iowa. Its community support channel also reaches Southeast Iowa, with additional geographic references to Western Illinois and Northeast Missouri.
Its public record is dominated by very large, transaction-linked transfers. The 25th percentile grant size is $51,509,202, the median is $93,018,404, and the 75th percentile is $134,527,607, which points to large one-time distributions rather than routine smaller awards.
The foundation focuses on healthcare restructuring, asset transfers, endowment funding tied to hospital mergers and consolidations, and capital and operating support after healthcare facility sales. It also supports health careers through scholarships.
Yes. Its Community Donations & Sponsorships Support Request Form accepts requests for donations, sponsorships, tours, and event representation from organizations in Southeast Iowa, Western Illinois, and Northeast Missouri.
The grant record provided is entirely in the United States, and 100% of grants go to recipients in Iowa. The community support channel also names Southeast Iowa, Western Illinois, and Northeast Missouri as its service area.
Yes. It administers the Tracey Howe Scholarship and the Kathleen Canella Family Scholarship, both described as supporting students pursuing health careers in Southeast Iowa.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRHS HOLDINGS INC | WEST BURLINGTON, IA | $176,036,809 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION OF ASSETS DUE TO MERGER |
| SOUTHEAST IOWA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER INC | WEST BURLINGTON, IA | $10,000,000 | 2024 | DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS FROM SALE OF ASSETS |
GRHS HOLDINGS INC
$176,036,809CONTRIBUTION OF ASSETS DUE TO MERGER
SOUTHEAST IOWA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER INC
$10,000,000DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS FROM SALE OF ASSETS
