The Robert Griffith Charitable Trust concentrates its giving locally in Estherville/Emmet County, IA, prioritizing scholarships for area students and core community institutions. Most dollars fund a dedicated scholarship fund, while the remainder are similarly sized grants to the local hospital foundation, school district, disability services, historical society and a United Methodist congregation, indicating a strong civic and community-services orientation.
Concentrated local philanthropy: one large, repeat-funded scholarship vehicle accounts for the majority of assets, supplemented by several equal mid-sized grants to a small set of local civic, health, education and faith organizations.
The Robert Griffith Charitable Trust’s largest recent grants are scholarship awards to the Robert Griffith Charitable Trust Scholarship Fund in Estherville, with $261,358 paid in 2024 after a $209,676 grant in 2023. That pattern makes student aid the clearest center of gravity in the trust’s giving. Alongside the scholarship fund, the trust supports a small set of Estherville institutions through similarly sized general-support grants, including Avera Holy Family Hospital Foundation, Estherville Lincoln Central School, Emmet County Historical Society, Emmet County Handicap Opportunity, and a United Methodist congregation. The grant list points to a local community trust rather than a broad thematic funder: dollars stay in Estherville and Emmet County and are directed to education access, health care, disability services, civic preservation, and faith-based community life. The recent grants also show consistency in award sizes, with a cluster of grants at the same amount across multiple community organizations. Taken together, the trust funds direct student assistance and core local institutions in a concentrated way.
Education access is the trust’s clearest priority. In 2024, it granted $261,358 to the Robert Griffith Charitable Trust Scholarship Fund for scholarships for students, following a $209,676 grant in 2023 for the same purpose. Beyond scholarships, the trust supports K–12 education through general support to Estherville Lincoln Central School, including a $52,272 grant in 2024 and a $41,937 grant in 2023. Community health also appears in the grant record: Avera Holy Family Hospital Foundation received general-support grants of $52,272 in 2024 and $41,935 in 2023. The trust also funds services and institutions tied to local civic life, including Emmet County Handicap Opportunity and Emmet County Historical Society, each with general-support grants in both 2023 and 2024.
Recent grants cluster tightly around a narrow band of award sizes. The median grant is $52,272, with p25 at $41,935 and p75 also at $52,272, showing limited spread. The trust appears to make repeated annual awards to the same local organizations rather than one-off gifts: the scholarship fund appears in both 2023 and 2024, and several community grantees recur across those years as well. Its philosophy is visible in the grant record: scholarship/direct-to-student funding, general operating support, unrestricted support, and individual financial assistance. The trust does not fund individuals directly and does not make program-related investments.
$942K
$10.4M
$396K
$608K
Most grants fall between $42K and $52K, with a median of $52K.
25th Percentile
$42K
Median
$52K
75th Percentile
$52K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in IA.
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Notable grantees: Robert Griffith Charitable Trust Scholarship Fund, Avera Holy Family Hospital Foundation, Estherville Lincoln Central School, Emmet County Handicap Opportunity, Emmet County Historical Society
Grantmaking is entirely local. All recent grants went to recipients in Iowa, and the recipient city repeatedly listed is Estherville. The largest scholarship awards and the general-support grants to the hospital foundation, school district, historical society, disability services group, and church all landed there. The grant record shows no out-of-state or non-U.S. recipients.
Scholarships for Estherville and Emmet County students are the main focus. The two largest recent grants were $261,358 in 2024 and $209,676 in 2023 to the Robert Griffith Charitable Trust Scholarship Fund for scholarships for students.
It supports local community institutions in Estherville, including Avera Holy Family Hospital Foundation, Estherville Lincoln Central School, Emmet County Historical Society, Emmet County Handicap Opportunity, and a United Methodist congregation, with general-support grants.
Typical grants are tightly grouped: p25 is $41,935, the median is $52,272, and p75 is $52,272. That pattern indicates most awards are clustered in a narrow range.
No. The grant record shows 12 grants to recipients in the U.S., and 100% of grants went to recipients in Iowa.
Yes. The scholarship fund appears in both 2023 and 2024, and several local organizations also received grants in both years, including Estherville Lincoln Central School, Emmet County Handicap Opportunity, Avera Holy Family Hospital Foundation, Emmet County Historical Society, and the United Methodist congregation.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROBERT GRIFFITH CHARITABLE TRUST SCHOLARSHIP FUND | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $261,358 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| EMMET COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $52,272 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $52,272 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EMMET COUNTY HANDICAP OPPORTUNITY | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $52,272 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AVERA HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL FOUNDATI | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $52,272 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ESTHERVILLE LINCOLN CENTRAL SCHOOL | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $52,272 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ROBERT GRIFFITH CHARITABLE TRUST SCHOLARSHIP FUND | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $209,676 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| ESTHERVILLE LINCOLN CENTRAL SCHOOL | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $41,937 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AVERA HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL FOUNDATI | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $41,935 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EMMET COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $41,935 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EMMET COUNTY HANDICAP OPPORTUNITY | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $41,935 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | ESTHERVILLE, IA | $41,935 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
ROBERT GRIFFITH CHARITABLE TRUST SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$261,358SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS
EMMET COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$52,272GENERAL SUPPORT
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$52,272GENERAL SUPPORT
EMMET COUNTY HANDICAP OPPORTUNITY
$52,272GENERAL SUPPORT
AVERA HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL FOUNDATI
$52,272GENERAL SUPPORT
ESTHERVILLE LINCOLN CENTRAL SCHOOL
$52,272GENERAL SUPPORT
ROBERT GRIFFITH CHARITABLE TRUST SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$209,676SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS
ESTHERVILLE LINCOLN CENTRAL SCHOOL
$41,937GENERAL SUPPORT
AVERA HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL FOUNDATI
$41,935GENERAL SUPPORT
EMMET COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$41,935GENERAL SUPPORT
EMMET COUNTY HANDICAP OPPORTUNITY
$41,935GENERAL SUPPORT
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$41,935GENERAL SUPPORT