The Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation (ORLF) granted over $2.4 Million during 2018, according to the recently released 2018 audit report. Since inception of ORLF in 2010 through 2018, over $18.8 Million have been distributed in Wapello County in the strategic priority areas of Jobs, Education, Housing, and Revitalization.
Legacy’s strategic grants accounted for $1,774,622 in disbursements during 2018. Some of the partnerships in this strategic category included: funding for the educational catalyst Pickwick Early Childhood Center and the career readiness initiative Spark Tank with Ottumwa Schools, the GPS career/college initiative at Cardinal Schools, an accelerated dilapidated home removal program with the City of Ottumwa and job creation initiatives with Regional Economic Development Investments. Its beneficial funding assistance also reached into such projects as Main Street’s upstairs housing rehabs and facade projects, literally changing the face of the city’s central business district.
Responsive grants accounted for another $645,729 distributed throughout Wapello County. These distributions are accessed through various grant programs including the Bright Ideas Community Enrichment Fund, President’s Fund, Capacity Program, Legacy Youth Alliance, and various restricted funds and endowments. The unique Laboratory Control Ltd. Scholarship Program, focused on students preparing for careers in medical sciences, is available to applicants in a 10 county area, and is paying genuine dividends to the area: graduates are returning to the Ottumwa and Southeast Iowa area to begin their medical careers.
The Foundation has already earmarked funding for upcoming, multi-year strategic grants including $2.3 million in funding for the two-year transformational Downtown Streetscape Project set to begin this month.
The ORLF board of directors recently received its 2018 independent audit report of financial performance, which verified the grant totals and sound financial operations. For the 9th consecutive year, dating back to the inception of the Foundation in 2010, a clean audit report was delivered by the auditors. “This achievement reflects a continuing commitment of our Board of Directors to remain vigilant stewards of Foundation corpus, and management’s continuous improvement of our internal financial practices,” stated Steve Dust, ORLF President. The Foundation currently holds nearly $69 million in assets.
For more information about Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation, its roles and projects, contact Kelly Genners, VP of Programs & Initiatives.
