Receive Funds
CLARINDA FOUnDATION INC.
Grants
Applications for the 2026 Clarinda Foundation Grant Cycle open on April 15, 2026. Completed applications are due June 1, 2026.
The Clarinda Foundation Grant Application Form for 2026 will be posted on our website effective April 15, 2026. Applications may also be obtained at the Foundation Office located at 114 E. Washington Street. Organizations applying must be deemed a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity, educational institution or government entity within the greater Clarinda area. If you are an Iowa nonprofit entity, but not federally certified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, you may apply with the approved use of a Fiscal Sponsor that has the certified 501(c)(3) designation. This Fiscal Sponsor will act on your organization’s behalf for this grant application and request. In addition, the organization’s governing board must approve all applications prior to submission. (NOTE: PUBLIC LIBRARIES, FIRE DEPARTMENTS, COUNTY EXTENSION, COUNTY CONSERVATION, FAIR BOARDS, Etc. ARE AMONG THOSE THAT REQUIRE A FISCAL SPONSOR. IN THESE CASES, THE CITY OR THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MAY BE USED AS A FISCAL SPONSOR.)
The Clarinda Foundation Board of Directors asks that all organizations interested in applying review the following eight qualities of exemplary proposals when considering making application:
Energy
The proposal sparkles with enthusiasm, urgency and passion. It suggests a group of people who can barely contain their eagerness to begin working. The Board members as readers want to feel inspired and excited by the organization’s plans.
Collaboration
The grant seeker has informed alliances with other organizations to advance their mutual goals. The people served by the proposed project have participated in its planning. All involved parties appear more interested in getting results than carving out turf.
Commitment
The proposal reflects the organization’s genuine priorities rather than being one of many programs it is currently juggling. The grant seekers demonstrate their willingness to invest their own unrestricted resources in the project. Rather than moving on to a new endeavor in the near future, the organization is committed to continuing the project.
Clarity
The proposal is clear about what the organization wants to do, why it is important and how it will be carried out and evaluated.
Expertise
The proposal’s authors should know what they are talking about. Their plans reflect a deep understanding of the problem they are addressing. They are aware of similar efforts that have been undertaken in the past. Their theoretical knowledge is tempered by time-tested experience in the field. They inform their practice with solid theory and continue their own professional development despite the demands of their daily work.
Benefits
The organization is less concerned with underwriting its own needs than improving society. The project’s goals are indisputably worth striving for, and the target group is appropriate.
Comprehensiveness
The problem’s complexity is matched by the sophistication of its proposed solution. The grant seekers’ thinking reflects a comprehensive strategy, rather than a piecemeal approach.
Effectiveness
A well-designed, ongoing evaluation reflects the group’s commitment to getting results. The project has the potential for achieving a wider impact if it is replicated elsewhere in the future.
The Clarinda Foundation awards these grants with funds that have been contributed to the Clarinda Foundation through bequests and individual contributions. Individual contributions include: establishment of a fund with the Foundation; participation in the Foundation’s Share with Clarinda program; memorial gifts to the Foundation’s Book of Honor; or undesignated contributions to the Foundation. We are here for our community and the residents. To learn more or discuss options in which to make a tax-deductible contribution to our community through the Clarinda Foundation, please contact us.
Grant Application Submission
Please submit your Grant Application using one of the methods below:
Online Submission
Complete the your application and upload it using the online form submission below.
Maximum total file size is 256 MB. If needed, additional files may be emailed at the below address.
Email Submission
You can email your completed application to:
clarindafoundation@clarindafoundation.com.
By Mail Submission
You can mail your completed application to:
Clarinda Foundation
114 E Washington St.
Clarinda, IA 51632
Online Grant Application Submission Form
Clarinda Foundation Grant History
Since the establishment of the Clarinda Foundation in 1986, over $1.4 million dollars have been awarded throughout the greater Clarinda area. The existence of many local amenities, projects, activities, and services were reliant on Clarinda Foundation grants.
For information regarding grants available through the Page County Foundation, click here.
Scholarships
Empowering the future through education.
2026 CLARINDA FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS COMING IN JANUARY!
2026 Scholarships Applications due March 15, 2026.
New in 2026:
Joe & Diane Newton Operation Blessing Scholarship
Joel Herzberg Memorial Scholarship
CHS Class of 1970 Scholarship
Audrey and Carlene Buck Scholarship
The Clarinda Foundation has awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships since 1991, the first year the Foundation awarded scholarships!
Scholarships offered through the Clarinda Foundation vary on amounts and eligibility criteria. For details on a specific scholarship, please read the Scholarship Descriptions. Scholarship application forms may be printed, completed, and returned to the applicable High School Guidance Counselor or to the Clarinda Foundation. Please refer to the Scholarship Descriptions for additional criteria to be submitted with each application form. Note that the CHS Class of 1970 Scholarship, Clarinda Veterans Scholarship, the Clarinda Public Library Foundation Scholarship, the Lois Wagoner Scholarship, the Harold & Dale McKinley Scholarship, and the Cardinal Fund Scholarship have specific applications. Each scholarship will require a copy of the Scholarship Application Form and a copy of any additional required criteria. The Clarinda Foundation has the right to verify all information given in any scholarship application.
For the CHS Class of 1970 Scholarship, please use the CHS Class of 1970 Scholarship Application Form:
For the Clarinda Public Library Foundation Memorial Scholarship, please use the Clarinda Public Library Scholarship Application Form:
For the Clarinda Veterans Fund Scholarship, please use the Clarinda Veterans Scholarship Application Form:
For the Harold and Dale McKinley Educational Scholarship and the Lois Wagoner Education Scholarship, please use the College Application Form:
Scholarships Available from Our Sponsored Funds:
The Cardinal Fund is also offering a scholarship through their organization, available to current Clarinda High School Seniors. The Cardinal Fund Scholarship applications are to be submitted separately via email submission to cardinalfundinfo@gmail.com, using their Cardinal Fund Application Form below. Please note the unique criteria required for The Cardinal Fund Scholarship, as found on the application.
2026 CARDINAL FUND Scholarships Applications are due April 1, 2026 by 11:15pm.
Scholarship Descriptions
2026 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 15, 2026
Vernon J. Baker Educators’ Scholarship
Ralph & Gladys Borden Memorial Scholarship
Ethel Brockman Nursing Scholarship
Audrey Buck and Carlene Buck Memorial Scholarship
Michael Burns Memorial Scholarship
CHS Alumni Scholarship
Clarinda Public Library Foundation Memorial Scholarship
Evelyn Herzberg Educational Scholarship
Joel Herzberg Memorial Scholarship
Paul Winston Jones Memorial Scholarship
Gary Knox Memorial Scholarship
Hugh Loudon Agricultural/Business Scholarship
Maxine S. Loudon Scholarship
Tad Madden Memorial Scholarship
Harold and Dale McKinley Education Scholarship
Norm Mier Memorial Scholarship
Dave Tackett Page County Pheasants Forever Scholarship
Larry Scherf Memorial Scholarship
Lowell Thomas Sweeney & Nina G. Sweeney Scholarship
Swisher Family Vocational Scholarship
Benjamin & Marilyn Tomlinson Ag./Eng. Scholarship
Clarinda Veterans Scholarship
Lois Wagoner Education Scholarship
Alec Woldruff Memorial Scholarship
Norman & Wanda Wynn Scholarship
The Cardinal Fund Scholarship
Requires separate submission to The Cardinal Fund (see above).
Scholarship Award History
Find more information on scholarships awarded in the past and past scholarship recipients: