President's Letter

Dear ICF Supporters:
I recently spent a week in eastern Idaho to meet with our supporters in Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Ashton and St. Anthony. 

While in St. Anthony, we met with Kara and Dan Hidalgo of the Idaho Art Lab, a grantee of the Idaho Community Foundation. Kara and Dan teach pottery, painting, graphic arts, screen printing, sculpture, video production, jewelry making, lapidary and more. They even have an artist-in-residence program.

According to U.S. Census data, St. Anthony is a town of 3,523 people, so having an organization like the Idaho Art Lab not only enriches the community, but it means that residents don’t have to drive 50+ miles to access high quality programs.

Organizations like the Idaho Art Lab are an important part of the glue holding rural communities in Idaho together. Kara and Dan recently had the opportunity to purchase their building but needed to raise $200,000 in a month to make it happen. They had never conducted a capital campaign before and weren’t sure what to expect. The community recognized the value of the art lab and the importance of building ownership and helped them raise the money by the deadline.

As we traveled around greater Idaho Falls and Upper Teton Valley, it was amazing to see how our fundholders and grantees were using their ICF funds to stitch together the fabric of their communities. 

In Rexburg, the Teton Land Trust, an ICF fundholder, is stitching together parcels of land to protect the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. At the Museum of Idaho, they are gathering incredible artifacts to help stitch together the history of Idaho. At the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, they are using ICF grants to help commission art pieces that make the building a gathering place for the community. 

The Idaho Falls Zoo uses funds from their ICF fund to celebrate and educate people about the amazing world of animals. And at Chesbro Music, they use their ICF charitable giving fund to help children enter the world of music by sponsoring instrument purchases and musical events. 

Those threads of support are being woven into the social fabric of their communities with the help of the Idaho Community Foundation. We are honored to be part of their diverse and wonderful journeys.

Best wishes,
Steve Burns 

Idaho Community Foundation grants $294k for education

We are excited to announce that the Idaho Future Fund in ICF has awarded $294,000 to 23 community organizations for preschool scholarships, charter schools, public schools, public school libraries and supplemental education programs throughout Idaho.

The Idaho Future Fund was established at the community foundation in 2015 by a couple from Blaine County. Grants from the fund are used to create, sustain or reinvigorate impactful educational programs and projects.

“Our preschool is the heart of our center, and this grant makes all the difference in the world,” said Dawn Brinker, chair of board of Memorial Community Center in Hope, which received a grant for preschool scholarships.

“Many of our students would not be able to attend if we didn’t offer these scholarships. Our teachers are so talented and dedicated and they provide a quality educational experience. The difference we see in these preschoolers from the first day to the last day of school is impressive and heartwarming.”

Grant recipients are:

EAST IDAHO
Challis Public Library (Custer) – $10,000 to offer an afterschool Skills Lab program 2-3 days a week for grades K-12. 

Island Park Charter School (Fremont) – $20,000 to provide high-quality preschool and pre-kindergarten and provide an after-school program for students in pre-K through 5th grade.

North Gem Education Foundation (Caribou) – $15,000 to update the K-5 science program with hands-on learning kits that will enhance the curriculum.

Oneida County Library (Oneida) – $10,000 to provide a Summer Reading Program for youth ages 0-18 that aims to prevent “summer slide” with free books and a reward party.

Salmon Pioneer Elementary School (Lemhi) – $8,000 to buy and install playground equipment for the school and purchase a set of soccer standards.

Teton Valley Education Foundation (Teton) – $15,000 to provide in-school Spanish language instruction for students in K-3, teacher grants and support programs and resources for families of children ages 0-8.

United Way of Southeastern Idaho (Power) – $20,000 to provide preschool scholarships.

NORTH IDAHO
Lapwai School District No. 341 (Nez Perce) – $12,000 to continue the reading interventions that have led to improvements for Lapwai Elementary students.

Memorial Community Center, Inc. (Bonner) – $20,000 to continue offering preschool for the 2022/23 school year. 

North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (Kootenai) – $20,000 to purchase a dynamic, interactive, inflatable planetarium.

Panhandle Alliance for Education, Inc. (Bonner) – $5,000 to help to support READY! for Kindergarten early childhood literacy for parents program.

Priest Lake Community Education Foundation, Inc. (Bonner) – $10,000 to provide free preschool and READY! for Kindergarten classes support to early learners.

St. Maries Joint School District #41 (Benewah) – $20,000 to provide kindergarten readiness and preparation in the community.

United Way of North Idaho (Kootenai) – $11,000 to provide childcare scholarships.

SOUTH CENTRAL
Minidoka County Joint School District #331 (Minidoka) – $5,000 for the library to replace outdated non-fiction books and add STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and Spanish titles.

SOUTHWEST
Breaking Chains Academy of Development (Canyon) – $10,000 to support and provide GED/high school equivalency programs and offer afterschool and recreational activities.

Cascade Public Library (Valley) –$3,000 to replace children’s library items damaged by smoke and water from a fire at an adjacent building.

Cascade School District #422 (Valley) – $15,000 to provide afterschool STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) enrichment for low-income K-6 students and two weeks of summer camp.

Giraffe Laugh, Inc. (Ada) – $15,000 to expand the Garden City preschool into a full-day program.

Homedale Joint School District #370 (Owyhee) – $15,000 to provide curriculum and classroom furnishings for the new public pre-K option.

Onerefugee (Ada) – $15,000 to provide college readiness support to high school seniors from refugee backgrounds.

Shepherd’s Home, Inc. (Valley) – $5,000 to bridge learning disparities by bringing tutors, WIFI access, school supplies, snacks and engaging STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities to five lower income neighborhoods each week.

Valley County Economic Development Council (Valley) – $15,000 for scholarships for early childhood education opportunities and educational resources for providers.

Ifft Foundation Fund in ICF grants $44k in southeast Idaho

Six community organizations in southeast Idaho have received grants for landscaping, beautification and public recreation grants from the Ifft Foundation Fund in the ICF.

The fund was established by Nick Ifft, the former publisher of the Idaho State Journal newspaper in Pocatello, and his wife Sara Ifft. Nick died in 2003 and Sara passed away in 2017. Their fund has granted more than $2 million since 2001. 

Recipients are:

American Falls School District #381 (Power) – $9,600 to purchase several mature pine trees to surround the American Falls High School football field and replace ones that have died.  The original trees were planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936.

City of Aberdeen (Bingham) – $5,000 to purchase planter boxes, flowers and custom-made trash receptacles for the downtown area of the City of Aberdeen.

Montpelier Community Foundation, Inc. (Bear Lake) – $8,000 to landscape the new Heritage Park and create a space that is inviting and memorable for community members and visitors.

Nell J. Redfield Memorial Hospital (Oneida) – $4,500 to improve the landscaping around the hospital, including removing overgrown bushes and improving the memorial garden with new planters, plants and signs.

Portneuf Greenway Foundation, Inc. (Bannock) – $10,000 to extend the Brennan Trail between the Portneuf River and the North Main Extension (matching funds to a grant from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation).

Samaria Community Foundation (Oneida) – $6,950 for landscaping to further beautify the grounds by adding shade and privacy and to develop a new pollinator garden area.

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