The Hawarden Community Foundation was established in 1994 through a charitable estate gift from Charles Horton to create a permanent endowment benefiting the Hawarden, Iowa community. This endowment is housed within the Siouxland Community Foundation and exists to provide grant funding in perpetuity to support public charities serving Hawarden. The foundation is governed by a seven-member advisory committee composed of representatives from key local institutions and the Horton family, ensuring ongoing alignment with community priorities.

The foundation's mission is to enhance quality of life, promote unity, and develop community pride by connecting donors with local causes, attracting and distributing charitable funds, encouraging volunteerism, and fostering civic engagement. The foundation emphasizes that donors of all levels can make meaningful and lasting contributions, whether by contributing to the general community fund or establishing named funds to support their specific charitable goals.

The Hawarden Community Foundation grant program opens annually on February 1 and closes at noon on April 15. Final funding decisions are announced in mid-June. The grants are intended to respond to both present and emerging needs in the Hawarden community, specifically within the 51023 zip code area. Grants are awarded to eligible nonprofit organizations and units of local government that hold 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

Grant funding is available across six program areas: Arts and Culture, Civic initiatives, Education, Environment, Health, and Human Services. Examples include support for local museums, parks and recreation improvements, libraries, pollution control, mental health services, crisis intervention, and programs for youth or underserved populations. Projects that demonstrate strong community impact, collaborative planning, volunteer engagement, and the potential to leverage additional resources are prioritized during the evaluation process.

Certain types of requests are generally not considered for funding, such as general operating expenses, reimbursement for completed purchases, capital campaigns, endowments, religious or political activities, and grants to individuals. Multi-year funding is also not supported.

Interested applicants can submit their applications through the foundation's grant portal. Additional information and support for integrating financial planning with charitable giving is available by contacting the Siouxland Community Foundation at office@siouxlandcommunityfoundation.org or by calling 712-293-3303. The administrative office is located at 4425 Singing Hills Blvd., Suite 100, Sioux City, IA 51106.