2020 started off just like nearly every other year, then three months later the world was upended by the Coronavirus pandemic. While this disaster certainly affected how the Gilchrist Foundation doled out funding, it didn’t negate the existing needs of Siouxland communities.

Those in the Sioux City-area can experience some free art this summer at the Le Mars Arts Center. The Arts Center is hosting the American Watercolor Society’s “The Best of International Watercolor” exhibit.

As COVID-19 impacts the Sioux City area, the Gilchrist Foundation awards money to the local Salvation Army and Iowa Public Television to support and educate the community.

Every year the Gilchrist Foundation awards thousands of dollars to dozens of deserving nonprofit organizations with missions that align with ours. In 2019, we gave nearly $2 million to support projects in the areas of wildlife and conservation, arts and public broadcasting and disaster relief. Some of those projects are ongoing and grants from the Gilchrist Foundation help jumpstart the needed funding.

Aircraft coming to the Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation will have a much easier time getting on the taxiway thanks to a grant from the Gilchrist Foundation.

At the Gilchrist Foundation, our mission is to carry out the philanthropy established by our founder, Jocelyn Gilchrist and the Gilchrist family. Each year we award deserving nonprofit organizations, whose missions lay in the areas of wildlife and conservation, arts and public broadcasting and disaster relief, nearly $2 million in grant funds. The 2020 grant cycle process is now open. It just takes a couple of steps to apply and it begins with a Request For Invitation.

The foundation awarded New Stage Players a $22,000 project grant for The Penguin Project, a new area program that gives those with special needs the opportunity to develop creative and social skills as they partner and network with others, while participating in a fully-realized musical production.

For years anyone in Siouxland interested in playing tennis year-round would have to travel to tennis facilities in Sioux Falls, Omaha or other large Midwest communities. Now, thanks in part to the Gilchrist Foundation, Siouxland tennis enthusiasts have a local place to play. 

On October 3 -5, 2019, film enthusiasts flocked to Sioux City to partake in the 15th annual Sioux City International Film Festival. The 2019 festival presented a focus on Women in Film, sponsored in part by the Gilchrist Foundation.

This year the Gilchrist Foundation awarded more than $1.8 million in grants to Siouxland nonprofits with ties to the arts and public broadcasting, wildlife and conservation and disaster relief. These nonprofits were invited to submit applications for the foundation’s endowment and capital campaign grants and project grants during the annual grant cycle of April to mid-July. The foundation also awards micro-grants of a maximum of $5,000 throughout the year.

There’s no better way to cap off the end of summer than with America’s pastime. On September 6 – 8, 2019, the Miracle League of Sioux City hosted more than 100 athletes from around the world for the second-annual Miracle League All-Star Celebration, which was injected with some Iowa pride thanks to the Gilchrist Foundation.

Last fall, work began to turn Le Mars’ Olson Cultural Event Center from a sea of cement to an inviting, open, green space in downtown Le Mars, with some help from the Gilchrist Foundation.

The Le Mars Area Betterment Foundation was awarded $25,000 in 2018 to renovate the downtown attraction. Used for outdoor concerts, church services and summer events like the Grill ‘n’ Chill Rib Rally, Kid Kar Racing and Madonarri Chalk Art Festival, the event center is a favorite spot for Le Mars’ residents.

Residents of Sioux County will soon have a new spot to relax, explore, touch and learn about the area’s wildlife. The Sioux County Nature Center is currently being built on the county’s western edge in Oak Grove Park in Hawarden, Iowa. The $4.8 million project is spearheaded by the Sioux County Conservation Foundation, which has made huge strides to raise the total funds needed; it reached the $4.2 million mark in July. The Sioux County Nature Center will feature a two-story, 12,000-square-foot facility that will be used for school field trips, summer camps, nursing home visits, civic groups and families.

Since 1991, the Saturday in the Park outdoor music festival has brought free, live music to Sioux City. It is held annually on the Saturday closest to the Fourth of July in Sioux City’s Grandview Park Municipal Bandshell, attracting about 25,000 people from across the Midwest each year. In 2018, the Gilchrist Foundation awarded the festival $50,000 in special project funds to help cover the costs to bring in the musical acts.