The St. Luke’s Foundation Rural Healthcare Grant Program provides matching grant funding to support emergency care and training initiatives in rural Iowa. The program is specifically designed to aid organizations that deliver emergency medical services by funding vital equipment, training programs, and transportation-related needs. Priority is given to programs that enhance pre-hospital emergency care through equipment acquisition, emergency personnel training, and community-based lifesaving instruction.

Eligible expenses include emergency care equipment, training tools such as CPR mannequins, and mileage reimbursement for transportation programs. The Foundation emphasizes that projects must be forward-looking and only future expenses are eligible. Ineligible expenses include infrastructure purchases like vehicles, fundraising events, capital campaigns, general operating support, or any multi-year funding commitments.

Eligible applicants must be located in and serve rural communities in the following Iowa counties: Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Delaware, Iowa, northern Johnson, Jones, and Linn. Applicants may include nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or governmental units (e.g., city or county departments). Entities outside the formal government structure must include a 28E Agreement with their submission.

The grant offers a maximum award of $6,000 and requires a 1:1 matching contribution from non-Foundation sources. St. Luke’s will match each dollar raised by the applicant, but its funding will not exceed 50% of the total project cost.

Applications are due by Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. and must be physically submitted (by mail or hand delivery) to the Foundation’s office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A complete application includes:

Completed application form (pages 3–7)

Proof of nonprofit/governmental status

Financial audit or IRS Form 990

Ten printed copies of the organization’s 2025 budget

A signed application by both an authorized official and the board chair

Grant recipients are required to submit a final report by March 2, 2026, which must include a project update, proof of matching expenditures, copies of receipts, and (if applicable) photos of purchased equipment. Organizations that fail to meet this requirement will not be considered for future funding.

For application questions, contact Tonya Arnold at (319) 369-7572 or Tonya.Arnold@unitypoint.org.