The Greater Jefferson County Foundation held its annual Grant Awards ceremony on Tuesday, August 18th at the Fairfield Community Center, distributing nearly $278,000 in grants to 29 Jefferson County organizations, according to a social media post from the foundation. The awards were announced during the ceremony by foundation board member Jim Flinspach and Bob Keller.
The 2026 grants bring the foundation’s cumulative total to nearly $4 million awarded to Jefferson County organizations since its first community grants were distributed in 1999. Over the years, the foundation has supported major community projects including the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, the Park and Recreation Pool and Gym Project, the Cambridge Little Dreamers Daycare, and most recently the Fairfield Fire Station Project.
The full list of 2026 grant recipients and their designated uses is as follows:
City of Fairfield Fire Station — second year pledge for new fire station ($100,000); Camp Courageous — annual disbursement for Jefferson County Camperships; Batavia Volunteer Fire Department — valves and hoses; Birmingham Fire Department — fire nozzles and gloves; CALU Apartments — air conditioner project; Carnegie Historical Museum — new wireless printer; City of Libertyville — digital information community sign; Fairfield Arts and Convention Center — Arts in Education Program ($5,000); Fairfield Community Center — retaining wall ($8,500); Fairfield Lions Club — iScreen G5 Digital Vision Screening Camera ($4,248); Fairfield Women’s Club — new kitchen windows ($1,600); Family Crisis Center — abused women’s shelter expenses; FHS Wall of Honor — award expenses; First Resources — day habilitation; Food Bank of Iowa — food for pantries; Girl Scout Service Unit 941 — new stove and microwave for Girl Scout cabin; Helping Hands — new signage; Jefferson County Ambulance Service — purchase of a video laryngoscope ($2,165); Jefferson County Little League — new scoreboard ($5,000); Jefferson County Sheriff’s Reserves — five new tasers and equipment ($17,500); Libertyville Volunteer Fire Department — AED; Lockridge Fire and Rescue — skid unit; Maasdam Barns — storage loft and Mare Barn doors; MANNA for Fairfield — food for pantry; McElhinney House Foundation — new roof; Pekin Community Schools — music library expansion project; SE Iowa Blues — event sponsorship; Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra — Fairfield Kids Symphony Concert; Stockport Volunteer Fire Department — fire extinguisher recharger; The WELL — new ice machine.
The foundation’s work is made possible by a long list of valued donors, including most recently Richard Kurka, as well as Pete and Fern Crafton, Lee T. Gobble, Scott and Edith Jordan, Edd and Darlene Felgar, the Dale Kraus family, T.L. and Dorothy Henderson, John Jackson, Dr. Robert Tree, Pat Thoma Wheeler, Matt Patton, Mike and JoAnne Ruby, Jim and Joan Salts, Jack and Ruth Sellars, Kathlyn Tompkins-Gentry, Joseph Mandarino, Bonnie Banse, Ben and Judy Bower, Susan Shafer, Carl and Mary Zillman, the Nady family, Dave and Sherri Neff, Donna Clark, John and Deb Martin, Dr. Stephen Van Tasell, James and Marilyn Taylor, Jack and Edie Graby, Overland Sheepskin, Crystal Group, Dexter Laundry, Cambridge, and many other donors.
In addition to its grant program, the foundation’s scholarship program — which began in 1988 with a $20,000 donation — has since grown to over $1 million in total funding, supporting more than 60 scholarships in 2026 alone totaling over $150,000.
The Greater Jefferson County Foundation’s mission is to receive, accept, and distribute funds for educational purposes for the benefit of the greater community of Jefferson County. Those interested in making a charitable contribution can contact the foundation at gjcf0758@windstream.net or 641-472-0758, or visit greaterjeffersoncountyfoundation.org for more information.
