2026 Grant Cycle Now Open!

The Morgan E. Cline Foundation is excited to once again be awarding new grants to support Appanoose County charitable causes.

 The foundation will focus its grantmaking on supporting organizations that work in the areas of:

• community and economic development

• seniors and healthcare

• historic preservation

• culture and the arts

Grants will likely range from $10,000 to $20,000. Four to six organizations are ultimately expected to receive funding.

 Complete applications will be accepted by invitation only. Interested organizations should submit a one-page letter of inquiry (LOI) by Thursday, September 10 to ceo@morganclinefoundation.org to be considered for an invitation to apply. Letters should describe the nonprofit organization, the project it wants to achieve, and how much funding it will request. An optional LOI template is available here.

 More information is available at morganclinefoundation.org. If a nonprofit needs help talking through ideas or drafting a letter of inquiry, please contact Alison Fraser at 641-437-1166 or ceo@morganclinefoundation.org.

Funding requests for special projects, rather than general operating expenses, are the most likely to be invited to apply. Businesses and individuals are not eligible for funding. 

Our timeline for awarding funding is:

• LOIs due: September 10, 2026

• Invited nonprofits submit their full applications: October 15, 2026

• Awardees Announced: November, 2026

Other guidelines and restrictions are listed below:

Charitable Giving

The Morgan E. Cline Foundation funds charitable projects in and around Appanoose County in our four areas of focus. Funding is awarded annually, with a call for letters of inquiry going out typically in August each year. The foundation awards two types of competitive grants--Community Cornerstone and Growing Good grants.

Legacy Grant

Sometimes opportunities arise to do big, community changing projects. Opportunities to make the kind of "Wow" statement Morgan Cline relished. When such opportunities present themselves, the Foundation may reach out to a partner organization to learn how we can partner to make a difference.

We are so proud of what has come from our first Legacy Grant. In August 2024, Indian Hills Community College unveiled its new, state-of-the-art campus in Centerville. This project was only possible thanks to a community-wide, multi-year effort to invest in the young people of our region. Our gift of $1 million over five years resulted in just the type of bold accomplishment that Morgan Cline loved. 

Community Cornerstone Grant

For established mid-size or large organizations undertaking important charitable work, this one-time grant combines funding with technical services from our staff that can range from capacity building to advocacy and strategic planning. As the name implies, our Community Cornerstone Grants are intended to support organizations, programs, or initiatives that are true cornerstones of Appanoose County.

Community Cornerstone Grants are typically awarded for specific projects or capital improvements. The most important criteria is that the funded work will have a significant impact on Appanoose County in at least one of our four strategic giving areas. Past grants of this type have typically ranged in the amount of $20,000-$60,000.

Applicants that can demonstrate financial matches of 1:1 or greater are strongly preferred.

Growing Good Grant

Targeted at nonprofits that are smaller, newer, growing, or are simply looking for support that goes beyond funding. This three-year general operating support grant combines staggered funding ($5,000 the first year, $3,000 the second year, $2,000 the third year) with in-kind capacity building services from our staff.  

In addition to funding, our staff will work with your organization to customize a plan of support that will include anything from strategic planning to grant writing, program design, or communications. The intent of this grant is to help organizations with potentially large impact in Appanoose County professionalize and develop a solid foundation for growth once the foundation’s support has ended.

Growing Good Grant recipients must work in one of our four strategic giving areas.

Who we fund

We support organizations with:

• 501(c)(3) status that are also 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) public charities. 

• Churches, hospitals, schools, or governmental agencies like fire departments or public libraries undertaking charitable activities or tax exempt organizations that are 509(a)(3) organizations. As special rules apply to some of these types of organizations, it is important that they contact the foundation to learn more about their eligibility.

• Headquarters or substantial operations in or around Appanoose County, Iowa.

• Strong board, volunteer, and/or staff leadership.

• The capacity to measure and communicate their work.

• Effective financial management and existing sources of funding. 

• The ability and willingness to collaborate with businesses, government entities, and other nonprofits to achieve their goals. 

We do not fund:

• Programs outside of the Appanoose County, Iowa area. 

• Individuals, either through scholarships or emergency financial assistance.

• Businesses or political organizations. 

• Private foundations.

• Organizations or programs focused on a single disease or medical condition.

• Sports teams, including those at the youth, high school, or collegiate level.

• Clubs or activities that are part of a public or private school, such as a high school yearbook, elementary school booster club, or college band.

• Programs that promote religious doctrine or facility improvements at a church that will primarily benefit its members.

• Lobbying.

• Projects of a nonprofit association or club that primarily benefit that association's members.

• Real estate developers.

• Payments of existing debt.

• Any organization that discriminates on the basis of age (18 or older), race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, or disability.

• Operating costs or salaries, with very few exceptions.

How to apply

Full applications are accepted by invitation only. 

If you would have a project you would like to be considered for an invitation, you may submit a one page Letter of Inquiry (LOI) that briefly describes your organization and the charitable work you seek to fund or request a meeting with our staff.  If you've never written an LOI before, it may help to start with this template (use of this specific template is 100% optional).

Contact CEO(at)MorganClineFoundation.org or 641-437-1166 to learn more about your eligibility and get help putting together an LOI.

 We receive many more requests for funding than we are able to support, and the process is competitive. Beyond alignment with our goals for long-term impact, we use several additional criteria to inform grant decisions. 

Past Grantees

2025 Grant

• Rathbun Lake Area YMCA

2022-2024 Grants

No new grants were awarded in these years as we focused on our existing commitments to Indian Hills Community College and capital improvements to our social enterprises.

2021 Grants

2021 Legacy Grant

• Morgan E. Cline Foundation awards $1 million grant to Indian Hills Community College for new building on Centerville campus.

2021 Community Cornerstone Grantees

• Appanoose All-Play

• City of Exline

• Kids World

• Moulton Volunteer Firefighters Association

• Rathbun Lake Area YMCA

2021 Growing Good Grantee

• Centerville Concert Association

2020 Grant Cycle

In 2020, the foundation awarded grants to:

2020 Community Cornerstone Grantees

• Appanoose All-Play

• Appanoose Community Care Services

• Chariton Valley Regional Housing Trust

• EveryStep Hospice

• Rathbun Lake Area YMCA

2020 Growing Good Grantees

• Centerville-Rathbun Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

• Reaching All People Together (RAPT)

2019 Grant Cycle

In 2019, we received letters of inquiry from 16 groups interested in funding. The foundation awarded grants to the following organizations:

2019 Community Cornerstone Grantees

• Appanoose County Historical Society

• Centerville Fire and Rescue

• Kids World

• Rathbun Lake Area YMCA

2019 Growing Good Grantee

• The Lord's Cupboard

2018 Grant Cycle

In 2018, we heard from 33 groups interested in funding. Ultimately, the foundation awarded the following grants:

2018 Community Cornerstone Grantees

• Drake Public Library Foundation

• 18-80 Club

• Historic Preservation Corporation

• City of Exline

2018 Growing Good Grantee

• Appanoose County Coalition for the Arts

2017 Grant Cycle

In 2017, we received letters of inquiry for grant funding from 19 qualifying nonprofits. The projects proposed spanned the range of our giving areas and came from a variety of organizations.  The foundation awarded the following grants:

2017 Community Cornerstone Grantees

• Appanoose County All-Play

• Appanoose County Historical Society

• Friends of Oakland Cemetery

• Rathbun Lake Area YMCA

2017 Growing Good Grantee

• Kids World