The O’Brien County Community Foundation (OBCCF), an affiliate of the Siouxland Community Foundation, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in O’Brien County, Iowa. Established to serve as a conduit for charitable gifts from individuals, families, corporations, private foundations, and governmental agencies, OBCCF carefully invests these gifts and uses the income to fund grants to public charities and municipalities that meet community needs.
The OBCCF grants program opens annually on January 15 and closes at noon on April 15, with final determinations announced in June. Grants are available for charitable purposes in a variety of fields including arts and culture, civic initiatives, education, environment, health, and human services. The grant amounts typically range between $250 and $15,000. The program emphasizes long-term community impact and prioritizes projects that address significant needs, involve careful planning, and demonstrate organizational capacity and resource mobilization.
Eligible applicants must be nonprofit organizations or units of local government that serve O’Brien County and have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Projects already completed, general operating expenses, political activities, religious activities, annual fund drives, and multi-year grants are generally not considered. Preference is given to applicants using vendors located within O’Brien County for equipment or building work.
Applications must include a detailed bid for any equipment or building-related expenses. Lower priority is generally given to funding requests for one-time events. Applicants are evaluated based on the potential long-term impact, breadth of population affected, planning rigor, organizational expertise, resource mobilization, collaboration with other nonprofits or volunteer groups, and avoidance of service duplication.
For questions or more information, applicants are encouraged to contact Denise Steffen, Advisory Committee Chair, at 712.260.6282, or the OBCCF Administrative Office at 712.293.3303. The OBCCF operates out of 4425 Singing Hills Blvd., STE 100, Sioux City, IA 51106.
