News

The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation (PCCF) and TS Community Foundation (TSCF) have partnered to continue their efforts to spur growth and prosperity in southwest Iowa.

Serving for 20 years as an independent foundation helping drive impact in the area, the TS Community Foundation will become an affiliate of the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation.

“PCCF is delighted to partner with TS Community Foundation as an affiliate of our organization,” said Tony Tauke, president of the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation Board of Directors. “The TS Community Foundation has been an active supporter of our community and with the affiliation with PCCF I foresee an even greater impact on area programs and projects. We look forward to working with the foundation in its endeavors.”

As an affiliate of PCCF, TS Community Foundation will continue to assist and grow its donors and organizations in the area and will also gain the internal strength and strategic vision, community insights and leverage of the national accreditation and Endow Iowa tax credit capability that the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation provides.

The Endow Iowa Tax Credit is awarded for gifts made to a permanent endowment fund, established for the benefit of Iowa charitable causes, at a qualified community foundation in Iowa, according to the Iowa Council of Foundations organization. The program is administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and is open to individuals, businesses and financial institutions.

“Our two organizations will continue to identify community needs, facilitate education efforts, and build up leaders, one individual and one family at a time,” said Mick Guttau, president of the TS Community Foundation. “Our number one desire is to be a catalyst for positive change and growth in our communities for generations to come.”

The TS Community Foundation will celebrate 20 years during an event in late September. In two decades, the foundation has helped the Treynor Optimist Club build a playground in the east

ern city park, helped city organizers create the veterans memorial area and helped jumpstart the Vision Treynor Group, which is working to bring new ball fields to town, among other projects.

Most recently, funds were created to help families honor loved ones, including a fund to help families in need of mental health services funding assistance and a fund that helps top 4-H and FFA students further their education after high school.

“We are very excited about this partnership with PCCF. This will help maximize local philanthropy, continue community projects, and connect more giving to individuals and organizations,” said Kelsey Stupfell, vice president of the TS Community Foundation. “The community’s continued investment makes positive change and true community impact possible. We see it every day in our communities and are glad to help propel this for many more generations.”

The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation celebrated 10 years of giving in 2018 and since its inception has awarded 1,701 grants and scholarships totaling $3,725,362.35. PCCF has partnered with the Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation (SWIEF) since 2013 by disbursing their annual scholarship awards and managing over 40 endowed scholarship funds.PCCF recently established the following three new Field of Interest Funds that bring awareness to critical issues in our community:

• The Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa is the catalyst for lasting, positive change relative to the challenges facing the women of southwest Iowa, including education initiatives for women of all ages, access to affordable, quality childcare, women’s health, safety and well-being, and aging in place.
• The Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Substance Abuse Fund supports community education, training, and prevention activities related to mental health and substance use in southwest Iowa.
• The Pottawattamie County Disaster Long-Term Recovery and Unmet Needs Fund supports long-term disaster relief needs not addressed by federal, state, and local funding programs.

In its latest – and largest – grant funding cycle, the foundation awarded 43 grants to area nonprofits. The giving totaled $51,800, with grants ranging from $500 to $5,000. The largest grants in this cycle included:

• $5,000 to Children’s Square U.S.A. to support an automobile purchase
• $2,500 to the Carson Community Rodeo for new VIP Booths
• $2,500 to the Walnut Community Center Foundation for Wellness Center equipment

“The TS Community Foundation has created a lasting legacy of support for the area and the people they serve. At PCCF, we are truly honored to help carry that legacy forward through this new and exciting partnership,” said Pottawattamie Community Foundation President and CEO Donna Dostal. “We look forward to supporting TS Community Foundation’s efforts in continuing to make our communities strong.”

The TS Community Foundation will celebrate its 20th anniversary during a ribbon cutting from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, at the TS Bank location in Treynor, 15 E. Main Street.

To learn more about the ribbon-cutting event or the TS Community Foundation visit tscommunityfoundation.com and Pottawattamie County Community Foundation at ourpccf.com.

About TS Community Foundation: Founded in 1999, TS Community Foundation is committed to developing long-term prosperity in the surrounding communities and strive to help identify community needs, facilitate education efforts, and build up leaders, one individual and one family at a time. The foundation desire is to be a catalyst for positive change and growth in our communities for generations to come.

About PCCF: The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation (PCCF) is a tax-exempt public charity, 501(c)(3), that serves thousands of people who share a common interest in improving the quality of life in Pottawattamie County, Iowa.

Through PCCF, individuals, families, businesses and organizations can create permanent charitable funds that help their communities meet the challenges of changing times. The foundation invests and administers these charitable funds.

Like all community foundations across the United States, PCCF is overseen by a volunteer board of leading citizens and run by professionals with expertise in identifying the needs of their community.

Mission: The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation is a partnership of rural and urban citizens dedicated to improving the lives of all residents by supporting and stimulating donor-driven philanthropy.