Ankeny Community School District Foundation

The Foundation Mission Statement:

"The Ankeny Community School District Foundation is an independent non-profit organization that expands educational opportunities for students by building and distributing endowment funds and by assisting educational organizations within the District striving to further educational excellence."

New Foundation is Created to Benefit Ankeny Schools

Volunteers from the Ankeny area recently established an independent non-profit organization with a mission to provide financial aid to Ankeny area educational groups. This organization, the Ankeny Community School District Foundation, will collect, invest, and distribute funds for qualified educational programs within the School District.

This foundation was created by an all-volunteer local group with an interest in expanding educational opportunities available in the Ankeny School District by bringing resources to the schools that might not otherwise be available. The primary source of funding is expected to be private foundations, national education foundations, and government grants. This non-profit status of the foundation offers tax benefits that will also attract funds from private sources such as individuals interested in tax-deductible donations, estates, and memorials. Donors may designate how the funds are to be distributed, although most money will remain undesignated. The volunteers are quick to point out that the Ankeny School Foundation will not be actively raising funds locally and will not be competing with existing clubs and organizations for donations.

Once established, this new foundation will be used to provide grants to teachers, staff, students, clubs and other academic organizations. The school and public will be informed when funds become available, possibly as soon as next year. A committee of Foundation board members will determine the distribution of awards, based on academic quality and need. Interested parties will apply for funding via written grant applications on a semi-annual basis.

Money raised by the Foundation will be invested through the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation into a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. Members of the Foundation have a vision of providing long-term private funding to encourage high quality educational opportunities in the Ankeny School District.

The Foundation also hopes to assist existing groups and organizations associated with the School District by providing an organizational umbrella and non-profit status if needed. Any educational group may utilize the Ankeny Foundation to invest any longer term funds they have available as an alternative to lower rate interest deposits.

Anyone interested in obtaining information about contributions or volunteering should contact Paula Pearson (965-5556) or Annette Shaw (965-0151).