State Parks of Iowa Fund

Iowa’s State Parks and Recreation Areas (managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and those managed locally) along with State Forest recreation facilities continue to see high levels of usage and low levels of funding.

To help alleviate funding issues and support conservation and facility improvements at Iowa's State Parks and Forests, INHF supports the State Parks of Iowa Fund that provides small grants to community created groups such as Friends Groups, Chambers of Commerce, youth groups and other service clubs. 

Private citizens have led the effort to establish the State Parks of Iowa Fund within the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation. Support of SPIF comes from grants, private donations, and sales of the book Iowa's State Parks, A Century of Stewardship, 1920-2020. 

Projects may include but aren't limited to:

• Facility/structure improvements like providing fire rings or improving trails and bridges
• Event support such as projectors for movie screenings
• Supplies for outdoor recreation equipment
• Conservation projects like purchasing and planting native shrubs, trees or prairie plants or wildlife maintenance and enhancement. 

You can apply for the grant by emailing answers to the questions below or in this document to Abby Hade Terpstra, Director of Philanthropy, at aterpstra@inhf.org by October 15 (deadline extended to Oct 25 for 2026):

1. Project Name
2. State Park, Preserve or Forest Area Name
3. Applicant Name (organization)
4. Grant amount requested from SPIF
5. Total project cost
6. One-to-two sentence description of project
7. Narrative (Describe the project, identify the need, and explain the value to the community. Provide a timeline of project work, and any plans to inform the local public about the project.)
8. Cost share amount (donations of cash, material or labor you've already secured)
9. Applicant name (individual), address, email and phone
10. State Parks staff member, title, email and phone - who is aware of and supports this project

How You Can Support the State Parks of Iowa Fund:

There are numerous ways you can support this fund, both financially and through other efforts. Here are just a few:

• Donate or encourage those volunteers that have a like interest to make a donation to the fund.
• Invite members of the committee to present or share information about the fund with interested groups.
• Provide a public endorsement of this program and the fund.
• Suggest leads to sources of funding to the committee to do the follow-up contacts or offer to assist in other ways.
• Share the stories of the good work being done through this fun with those you know.