Jones County Community Foundation

The vision of the Jones County Community Foundation is to foster private giving and improve the economic well-being or quality of life of Jones County residents and our family of funds in order to achieve common goals which include educational opportunities, community capital improvements, tourism promotion, recreation and conservation or maintenance of Jones County's heritage.

As a board, we carry out this mission of Philanthropy in three roles, by

•STRENGTHENING NON-PROFITS -- In the last 10 years, the Jones County Community Foundation (JCCF) has supported more than $1 million in grants to local nonprofits like the Wyoming Public Library through an annual grant-making program. "I think sometimes our smaller communities get overlooked," says Nikki Rushford, former director of the Wyoming Public Library. "I think that the JCCF has really gone above and beyond to make sure that it's providing opportunities for our smaller communities.

•SUPPORTING DONORS -- We help donors personalize their giving to reflect their values and create legacies that benefit their community forever. We connect donors with causes they care about. Donors and nonprofits have created 30 endowment funds through the Jones County Community Foundation. These donor funds are invested and pay out up to five percent annually to designated nonprofits, providing a reliable source of income to sustain their operations forever.

In 2022 Jones County organizations with endowed funds hosted by JCCF received $109,720 in payouts to support their efforts to improve the lives of all residents.  Jones Soil and Water Conservation Commission Chairperson Julie Orris knows first-hand the impact endowment funds have on the community. Each year, she sees her organization’s endowment, hosted by the Jones County Community Foundation, pay out to cover scholarships for high school seniors interested in pursuing an education in conservation or agricultural related fields.

 “Our endowment with the Community Foundation is essential for the annual stability and future prosperity of our scholarship fund. It is critical that we support and encourage our future generations as they learn to be leaders in caring for our critical soil and water resources,” Orris says. “We have the comfort of knowing the endowment will be there for us for many years to come thanks to the generosity of our donors.”

•PROVIDING COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP -- In the spring of 2021, the nonprofit Vision To Learn provided free modified vision screenings to kindergarten through 12th-grade students at the Midland and Olin Consolidated public schools in Jones County thanks to a program aimed at improving kids' vision. Made possible through partnerships with Vision To Learn, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, the Jones County Community Foundation and local schools, the program provides free screenings to children throughout Jones County, with kids each receiving two free pairs of glasses-one to keep at school and one for home. These partnerships will carryover into the fall of 2021 with the goal of serving students in the Anamosa and Monticello Community School Districts.

Testimonials

“For some of our donors, the fact that their donation is tax deductible and they can use the Endow Iowa Tax Credit if they contribute to our endowment is important” says Jennifer Husmann, Project Coordinator of the Jones County Safe & Healthy Youth Coalition. “That and knowing that those funds are invested by CFGD with a measured eye on financial growth and security so they will be there for future support of our good cause of promoting mental wellness and reducing youth substance abuse.”

"The funds Friends of Olin’s Emergency Services received from the Jones County Community Foundation Grant has been greatly beneficial toward the on-going interior Emergency Services building construction. The additional funds enabled us to complete the purchase of supplies for the wall between the main interior conference room and the ambulance garage bay, kitchen and furnace room. This construction included the main wall structure, insulation, electrical wiring, ambulance bay plumbing and outer drywall for both wall sides. This funding enabled us to enclose the ambulance in its own garage structure and provide the security needed for the equipment and supplies housed for use during Olin ambulance calls."  - The Friends of Olin's Emergency Services.