Farrer Endowment Foundation
Mason City, IA · EIN 42-1214699. Reported 155 grants totalling $1,271,550 to 74 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Farrer Endowment Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,500 and $10,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $40,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth and Shelter Services | Mason City, IA | $154,900 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| North Iowa Community Action | Mason City, IA | $125,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Niacc Foundation | Mason City, IA | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mercy One North Iowa Foundation | Mason City, IA | $84,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| 43 North Iowa | Mason City, IA | $51,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Caring Pregnancy Center Inc | Mason City, IA | $37,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa | Mason City, IA | $36,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Niad Center for Human Dev | Mason City, IA | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mercy Medical Center Fdn | Mason City, IA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| One Vision | Clear Lake, IA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Community Kitchen N I | Mason City, IA | $26,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| West Fork Community School District | Sheffield, IA | $23,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Apple Daycare Inc | Sheffield, IA | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Central Gardens of North Iowa Inc | Clear Lake, IA | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Iowa Legal Aid | Mason City, IA | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa Inc | Des Moines, IA | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Meals on Wheels | Mason City, IA | $19,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Habitat for Humanity of North Central Iowa | Mason City, IA | $16,700 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Cedar Valley Seminary Fdn | Osage, IA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Elderbridge Agency on Aging | Mason City, IA | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| North Central Ia Ag in the Class Program | Garner, IA | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Tlc Broadcasting Corporation | Mason City, IA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| City of Rockwell | Rockwell, IA | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Mason City Foundation | Mason City, IA | $12,800 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| City of Garner | Garner, IA | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mason City Community School District | Mason City, IA | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| North Iowa Youth for Christ Inc | Mason City, IA | $11,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| City of Rudd Library | Rudd, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Colts Daycare Ctr | Sheffield, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mason City Community S D | Mason City, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Newman Catholic School System | Mason City, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Northern Lights | Mason City, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Rockwell Swaledale Emt Team | Rockwell, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Rockwell-Swaledale Emt Inc | Rockwell, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Tlc Broadcasting Corrporation | Mason City, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United Way of North Cental Iowa | Mason City, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wright on the Park Inc | Mason City, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Winnebago Historical Society | Forest City, IA | $9,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Community Health Center of Fort Dodge Inc | Fort Dodge, IA | $8,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hancock County Agricultural Museum | Britt, IA | $8,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| North Iowa Christian School Inc | Mason City, IA | $8,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| River City Society for Historic Preservation | Mason City, IA | $7,550 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Charlie Brown Preschool | Mason City, IA | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mason City Chamber of Commerce Fdn | Mason City, IA | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Mason City Family YMCA | Mason City, IA | $6,900 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Floyd County Historical Society | Charles City, IA | $6,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Mason City Public Library Fdn | Mason City, IA | $6,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rockwell Community Fire Service | Rockwell, IA | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mohawk Archery Club | Mason City, IA | $5,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Charlie Brown Community Daycare Center | Mason City, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| City of Swaledale | Sawledale, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Swaledale Fire Dept | Sawledale, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Iowa Ag in the Classroom | Garner, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Iowa Band Festival Fd | Mason City, IA | $5,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| North Iowa Southern Minnesota Veteran Stand Down | Mason City, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| River City Sculptures on Parade Inc | Mason City, IA | $5,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Rockwell Comm Fire Services | Rockwell, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Stebens Childrens Theatre | Mason City, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Veterans of Foreign Wars 0733 | Rockwell, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Winnebago Council Boy Scouts | Waterloo, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Winnebago County Conservation Fdn | Forest City, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Newman Catholic Schools | Mason City, IA | $4,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cedar Valley Friends of the Family | Waterloo, IA | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Four Oaks Family Services | Cedar Rapids, IA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| City of Sheffield Library | Sheffield, IA | $2,800 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| City of Clarksville | Clarksville, IA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Stebens Children's Theatre | Mason City, IA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United Way of North Central Iowa | Mason City, IA | $2,300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Central Springs Community School District | Manly, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Corwith | Corwith, IA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Clear Lake Arts Council | Clear Lake, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Forest City Enhancement Comm | Forest City, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Quilts of Valor | Clear Lake, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| City of Sheffield | Sheffield, IA | $1,600 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
37 of 74 (50%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 66%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Youth and Shelter Services
CONTINUING EDUCATIONSTAFF DEVELOPMENT - Niacc Foundation
NURSINGADVANCEMENTSFARRER SCHOLARSHIP - North Iowa Community Action
SUPPORT SELFSUFFICIENCY PROGRAM - Mercy Medical Center Fdn
UPGRADE RADIATIONTREATMENT DEVICES - 43 North Iowa
PELLET AUTOMATIONAND BLDG UPGRADES - Caring Pregnancy Center Inc
PURCHASE ULTRASOUNDMACHINE
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 48 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | $354,450 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 37 | $288,200 | $5,000 |
| 2023 | 40 | $323,000 | $5,000 |
| 2024 | 37 | $305,900 | $5,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Iowa.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Farrer Endowment Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: P O Box 1567, Mason City, IA, 50402. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 42-1214699 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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