The Gilchrist Foundation Awards for 2023
The Gilchrist Foundation is committed to supporting Siouxland nonprofits and has awarded 60 grants in 2023 totaling more than $1.9 million. Since 1998, the Foundation has awarded grants to local charities whose interests align with those of Jocelyn Gilchrist, who established the Foundation. Those interests include the arts and public broadcasting, wildlife and conservation and disaster relief. Jocelyn died in 2008 and the Foundation continues today to award grants in her name.
The annual grant process begins by submitting a Request for Consideration for Invitation due in April. For 2024 awards, requests are due April 1, 2024. If an invitation is granted, grant applications are due in late June; 2024 grant applications are due June 28, 2024. Awards are announced in October.
The Foundation awards three types of grants: endowment, capital campaign 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.
Here are some of our newest recipients for 2023.
Breathe Bravely, a Sioux Falls, S.D.-based organization that advocates and educates about the effects of cystic fibrosis through science, art and singing, was awarded a $2,500 Micro Grant for its sINgSPIRE program. The sINgSPIRE Virtual Choir represents a diverse group of individuals with cystic fibrosis while serving as a catalyst for the community through the life-giving love of singing.
Ducks Unlimited (DU) was awarded a $100,000 Project Grant for the Chicoine land acquisition which will help protect the Big Sioux River. DU’s mission is habitat conservation. It was started in 1937 to help conserve North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations. DU is now the world’s largest conservation organization.
First United Methodist Church, located in Sioux City, Iowa, received a $5,000 Micro Grant for the purchase of a 3-octave set of hand chimes and related supplies for the Music Academy @ First. The academy was created as a free program that gives low-income students an opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. The program teaches kids to learn to play the piano, hand chimes and wind instruments.
Friends of Loess Hills State Forest
Friends of Loess Hills State Forest received a $5,000 Micro Grant to purchase a prescribed fire-fighting skid unit. The Friends group is dedicated to improving the Loess Hills State Forest and Preparation Canyon State Park through volunteering, fundraising and other support. The State Forest and State Park are public conservation and recreation areas located near the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway in Harrison and Monona counties. Both are owned and managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
History Nebraska Foundation was awarded a $60,000 Project Grant to help bring the play “Not Too Far Distant - Championing Community Connections through the Shared Stories of Veterans, Liberators and Survivors” to the stage. The play explores the personal accounts of Staff Sargent Clarence Williams and his journey as a soldier in World War II. The History Nebraska Foundation’s goal is to secure the financial resources that will enable History Nebraska to fulfill its mission in new and inventive ways to reach a twenty-first century audience.
LifeLight Communication received a $50,000 Project Grant to bring a free, multi-generational LifeLight Festival to Sioux City, Iowa. The organization puts on festivals in towns and cities throughout the country that gather people together to proclaim the gospel. LifeLight involves many church denominations working together.
Loess Hills Preservation Society
The Loess Hills Preservation Society received two Micro Grants to help install Motus Wildlife Tracking Receiving Stations at Waubonsie State Park and Willow Lake for $3,400 and $3,570 respectively. The Loess Hills Preservation Society works to protect the unique natural resources and landforms of the Loess Hills through education, land protection projects, sound land use planning and land acquisition. It is the mission of the Society to promote and utilize voluntary land protection methods and land acquisition to ensure that the Loess Hill’s resource integrity continues for generations.
Morningside University, the private, four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, received a $5,000 Micro Grant for a flower bed outside Roadman Hall. The beautiful 69-acre campus is located in a safe, residential area in Sioux City, Iowa. Its educational programming is designed to meet the needs of undergraduate, post-undergraduate and graduate students in an increasingly fast-paced world.
Orange City Arts received a $5,000 Micro Grant for its 2023 Fall MainStage events, which run September through April. The funds will help Orange City Arts bring world-class entertainment featuring international, national and local artists to its MainStage. For over 45 years, Orange City Arts’ donors have helped the community come alive by providing the opportunity to share some of the finest artistry in the world.
Orpheum Theatre Preservation Project
The Orpheum Theatre Preservation Project received a $90,000 Project Grant to replace the stage curtains at the Orpheum Theatre. The Orpheum Theatre Preservation Project, Ltd. was established in 1989 for the purpose of pursuing the fundraising necessary to renovate and reopen the theatre. The Orpheum Theatre Preservation Project was involved with the acquisition of the theatre building, renovating and remodeling of the interior and exterior, and the establishment of an endowment fund. Renovations started in 1999 and theatre reopened in 2001. The total cost of the project was approximately $15 million, with funding from grants, foundations and private donations.
Plymouth County Historical Museum
The Plymouth County Historical Museum was issued a $5,000 Micro Grant for the Native American Room Mural. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Museum is housed in a former Le Mars Community School building. An elevator serves all five levels of exhibits. The museum features: Turn of the Century Domestic Rooms; Agricultural Rooms; Heritage Rooms; a Music Room; Religious Heritage Room; Miller's Lunch; “The Village” and Loess Hills Exhibit.
Reach Youth and Family Theatre
The Reach Youth and Family Theatre received a $3,000 Micro Grant to purchase two theatrical productions. Reach Youth and Family Theatre is a nonprofit performing arts theatre passionate about teaching the joy of live theatre to students and sharing that joy with Siouxland.
The Rosecrance Foundation (on behalf of Rosecrance Jackson)
The Rosecrance Foundation received a 1:1 Challenge Match for $50,000 to use for its Building a Brighter Future Campaign. The campaign is a thoughtful, planned expansion of its recovery campus. Once complete, Rosecrance Jackson Centers will integrate experiential and recreational therapies to provide an even deeper and more holistic treatment experience to clients.
Sioux City Chamber Music Association
Sioux City Chamber Music Association was awarded a $5,000 Micro Grant for its 2023 season concerts including the Young Artist competition. The Sioux City Chamber Music Association is an organization dedicated to providing performances of, and fostering appreciation for, chamber music in Siouxland resulting in a strengthened cultural base for the community.
Sioux City Conservatory of Music
Sioux City Conservatory of Music received a $5,000 Micro Grant to support its Harmony Project. The Sioux City Conservatory is a 501c3 music center whose primary focus is to inspire those with a desire to study music and its essence. It provides music theory classes, vocal, guitar, percussion, brass, woodwind, piano and song writing classes. It studies the history of every genre of music and uses this very important method as a way to encourage its students to be bold in their music to write their own songs and to play hard.
The Siouxland YMCA (Norm Waitt Sr YMCA)
The Siouxland YMCA was awarded a $50,000 Capital Campaign grant for its Early Learning and Youth Development Center expansion. The Siouxland YMCA’s vision is to create a more extensive and enriched space that will better cater to the needs of the community and enable it to serve even more individuals and families than ever before. The current facility’s 12,000-square-foot expansion will house the new Early Learning and Youth Development Center. The center will provide accessible, high-quality, affordable childcare and youth development programs in the Siouxland community.
Western Iowa Tech Community College Foundation (WITCC)
WITCC received a $20,000 Project Grant for its Rocklin Stage Improvements. The Foundation uses charitable giving to help provide scholarships and financial assistance for hundreds of students each year so they may further their education, better their lives and continue to enhance the community.
See the entire list of the 2023 awards here.