About Pella Community Foundation
Pella Community Foundation centers its giving on preserving Pella’s heritage and improving quality of life in the community, and its recent grants show that mission in action across civic projects, scholarships, health, and local nonprofits. The largest recent award went to the City of Pella for $72,000, signaling support for public-facing community work rather than a narrow single-cause strategy. Another major grant supported Dollars for Scholars with $54,185, and Pella Regional Health Center received $17,762, showing that education and health sit alongside broader community investment. The foundation also backs local service organizations and cultural institutions, including The Well, 725 Ministries, Crossroads of Pella, Spirit of Pella, Friends of the Pella Public Library, and the Pella Historical Society. Its active grant programs reinforce that mix: competitive Impact Grants for major community initiatives, Board Directed Grants for creative or emerging charitable opportunities, and donor-advised programs tied to bereavement, hospice, faith-based work, and quality-of-life improvements. The picture is of a place-based funder with multiple channels, supporting projects that are rooted in Pella and designed to have visible local effect.
What Pella Community Foundation Funds
Community development is a clear thread in the foundation’s giving. The City of Pella received $72,000, and the foundation’s Impact Grants are designed for broad, collaborative projects that strengthen Pella through major community initiatives. Education also appears prominently: Dollars for Scholars received $54,185, and Pella Christian High School received $6,444, aligning with the foundation’s stated focus on education and scholarship support. Health and human services are another priority area, reflected in grants to Pella Regional Health Center for $17,762 and to The Well for $21,917. Arts, culture, and heritage are present as well, with support for Friends of the Pella Public Library, Spirit of Pella, and the Pella Historical Society. Together, these grants show a funder that supports both civic infrastructure and organizations tied to Pella’s identity and daily life.
How Pella Community Foundation Gives
The recent grant list shows a wide spread in individual grant sizes, from $5,586 at the low end to $72,000 at the high end. The median recent grant is about $13,731, and the third quartile is about $19,890, indicating that most awards cluster well below the largest civic grant. The foundation uses multiple vehicles: competitive grants, board-directed grants, and donor-advised funds, including the Garden Chapel and Vos Trust programs. Recipients include both nonprofits and scholarship-related payouts, consistent with a public charity that funds individuals as well as organizations. The 2025 list points to repeated support for local institutions and community services rather than isolated one-off transactions.
