About Youth and Shelter Services Foundation
Creating hope and opportunity by putting kids first.
Focus Areas
Youth homelessnessSupportive housingMental healthAddiction treatmentFoster care supportEducation retentionJob training and employment supportFood security / nutrition education
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (unspecified service population)
Funding Style
program support / operationscapital/infrastructure fundingcapacity building
About Youth and Shelter Services Foundation
Youth and Shelter Services Foundation’s recent grantmaking is dominated by large support for Youth and Shelter Services Inc in Ames, all described as assistance with program services and capital improvements. The biggest reported grant in the data is $5,354,376 in 2025, followed by $2,428,189 in 2023 and $1,974,993 in 2024, showing a repeated commitment to the same local nonprofit. That pattern fits the foundation’s stated summary of creating hope and opportunity by putting kids first, and it aligns with its focus areas in youth homelessness, supportive housing, mental health, addiction treatment, foster care support, education retention, job training and employment support, and food security / nutrition education. The foundation also operates a named scholarship program, the Mary Ann and Jim Black Collegiate Recovery Scholarship, for graduates of Ember Recovery who want to continue to higher education in Iowa.
What Youth and Shelter Services Foundation Funds
In youth homelessness and housing-related work, the foundation supports Youth and Shelter Services Inc with grants tied to program services and capital improvements. Its focus list also includes supportive housing, mental health, and addiction treatment, which matches the organization’s broader service model. The foundation’s recovery-related educational support appears in the Mary Ann and Jim Black Collegiate Recovery Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship for graduates of Ember Recovery pursuing higher education at Iowa State University, a community college with intent to transfer to Iowa State, or another institution of higher education. Its stated focus areas also extend to foster care support, education retention, job training and employment support, and food security / nutrition education, indicating a service mix that goes beyond shelter to longer-term stability.
How Youth and Shelter Services Foundation Gives
The foundation’s grant size profile is large and fairly tight: p25 is $2,201,591, the median is $2,428,189, and p75 is $3,891,282. Its recent grant record shows repeated support to the same recipient across 2023, 2024, and 2025, all for program services and capital improvements. That suggests an ongoing operating-and-capital relationship rather than isolated one-time awards. The foundation is not a donor-advised fund, does not fund individuals broadly, and does not make program-related investments. It also offers one small scholarship program that accepts unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$5.4M
Total Assets
$9.5M
Total Revenue
$1.6M
Total Expenses
$5.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $2.2M and $3.9M, with a median of $2.4M.
25th Percentile
$2.2M
Median
$2.4M
75th Percentile
$3.9M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in IA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ANDREW ALLEN
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