Mansfield Charitable Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Mansfield Charitable Foundation supports human services, education and arts and culture in Iowa.

IP TAKE: MCF is an accessible foundation for Iowa organizations and the occasional Nebraska group working in a wide variety of nonprofit fields. However, it does not maintain a website, which limits transparency into its grants strategies and guidelines.

PROFILE: Established in 1984, the Mansfield Charitable Foundation (MCF) is a private foundation based in Belle Plaine, Iowa. It also has a presence in Tama, Iowa. This is the foundation of Wesley and Irene Mansfield, who mostly funded the foundation in the late-1980s. Wesley Manfield and his wife, Irene, moved to Belle Plaine, opened the King Theater, managed the Blackbird Grill, operated an oil company and built a livestock auction. Today, MCF funds local efforts for human services, arts and culture and education.

Grants for Community Development, Arts and Culture, and Education

The Mansfield Charitable Foundation’s recent tax records indicates that MCF is the legacy of a successful business couple and that its grantmaking remains active in selected Iowa communities. Past support has funded essential city services, restoration projects, training programs and annual scholarships. Program funding and scholarships are the most common types of awards with MCF.

Grants range between about $5,000 and $100,000. MCF typically provides less than $1 million in grants per year. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on the state of Iowa and specifically the areas of Tama and Belle Plaine. Other grantees are based in the Iowa towns of Genoa, Chelsea and Des Moines. Past local grantees include Tama and Toledo Ambulance, STC School District and the Wieting Theatre.

This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. MCF does not have any specific required forms or restrictions or limitations on its awards. The annual submission deadline for grants is June 1. Larry Schule is a trustee and the primary contact person at MCF. Direct general questions to the staff at 319-444-3285.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Po Box 7
Tama, IA 52339