Grinnell College has pledged a quarter-million dollars to a new elementary school project in its community, a move its leaders say will serve both the community and the campus.
The private college, in partnership with Grinnell Mutual, has committed a combined $475,000 to the Grinnell-Newburg School Foundation for a new elementary school on donated land. The project broke ground this spring with plans to open for students in fall 2028, and the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District board acknowledged the gifts at its June 10 meeting.
Grinnell College President Anne Harris said conversations around developing a new elementary school have been happening for more than a decade, but with a “marvelous series of events,” everything fell into place last year.
“There was a gift of land, there was a bond issue, there was a vote, everything moved forward on the civic front, and so we very much felt like this was a great time for us to move forward on the philanthropic front as well,” Harris said.
What “jumpstarted this momentum” for the project was the 38-acre land donation by the Ahrens Park Foundation, Harris said, part of a larger family foundation in Grinnell with the mission of improving quality of life through parks and recreation, education and health. According to a timeline of the project, a vote to support the new school construction passed in March 2025, with its design approved in November and a groundbreaking in April.
Half of the college’s pledged funding has already been dispersed to the project team, Grinnell Vice President of Communications and Marketing Ellen de Graffenreid said, with the last half set for donation next fiscal year. Over the past 25 years, Harris said Grinnell has donated $12 million to different community projects, from a hospital maternity wing to accessible playgrounds and more.
While funding from bonds is taking care of all the core costs of the project, Harris said the college’s $250,000 and Grinnell Mutual’s $225,000 will pay for gymnasium equipment and outfitting, other furnishings and the addition of an accessible playground.
“Philanthropy has the word ‘love’ in it, philos means to love. So this is really the love of the community — what makes our community shine, what makes it distinctive, what makes it noticed and celebrated,” Harris said.
Beyond the elementary students who will get to roam the new facility’s halls and learn in its classrooms, de Graffenreid and Harris said Grinnell students, as well as faculty and staff with families of their own, will benefit from the elementary school opening.
Students in the college’s education studies department and teacher education program can complete student teaching internships through the Grinnell-Newburg School District, de Graffenreid said. Grinnell College also helps operate the Grinnell Education Partnership, an initiative to support student literacy and other aspects of their school experience.
Grinnell-Newburg School Foundation Executive Director Liz Hansen said in a news release announcing the gifts said the Grinnell College and Grinnell Mutual partnership is “what community partnership looks like at its very best,” and their combined donations will “ensure that every child in Grinnell learns in a space worthy of their potential.”
“Providing a state-of-the-art educational environment is crucial to giving our students a strong foundation for learning and interacting with each other and teachers,” said Grinnell Mutual President and CEO Dave Wingert in the news release. “A thriving school system is the cornerstone of a vibrant community, and we are proud to be a partner with Grinnell College, the Grinnell-Newburg School Foundation, and everyone who is supporting this most important effort for the city of Grinnell.”
