R.J. McElroy Trust
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your work helps young people with educational opportunity in one of the twelve counties under the Trust's geographic focus, your work fits its stated aims.
- Most of its grants are modest: about 8 in 10 of its 164 grants to organisations fall between $750 and $50,500, with a median of $10,000, so a request in that range is typical, though its largest grant was $615,000.
- In its latest filing, 89% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded the year before, so it is worth calling or joining one of its workshops before you submit, as it encourages, and you can send a Letter of Intent and then an application at any time.
- Classroom projects should go through the AEA process first, and individuals may not apply except through the Gold Star and Fellowship programmes, nor may religious organisations seek grants for religious programming.
Overview
R.J. McElroy Trust is a US private foundation based in Waterloo, IA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The R.J. McElroy Trust funds programmes, projects and other endeavours that help young people, with educational opportunity at their centre. It describes its work as investing in deserving young people and strengthening educational opportunity across northeast Iowa, carrying forward a vision of educational benefit for deserving young people. Its grants support a broad range of educational programmes, including scholarships, fellowships, internships and student loan funds, as well as other projects that benefit young people of all ages. Organisations eligible to apply are nonprofit charitable organisations and governmental entities such as school districts and municipalities. The Trust focuses its grants on a defined group of Iowa counties and does not make grants for religious programming.
Themes
- Education
Geographic Focus
Allamakee; Black Hawk; Bremer; Buchanan; Butler; Chickasaw; Clayton; Delaware; Fayette; Grundy; Tama; Winneshiek.
What They Don't Fund
- Grants directly to individuals, except through the Gold Star and Fellowship programs
- Grants to religious organizations for religious programming
- McElroy Trust Fellowship Program only: Students pursuing M.D., J.D., Ed.D., Pharm.D., or other professional degrees
How to apply
Applicants first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), then submit the application; both may be sent at any time.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 89% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 164 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Trust funds programmes, projects and endeavours that help young people.
- The Trust encourages grantseekers to call or join a workshop, even before their project is ready for funding.
- The Trust prefers eligible classroom projects to go through the AEA process first.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
1 other state: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 19% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 89% of grant dollars went to organisations R.J. McElroy Trust had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 69 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $9,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Waterloo Leisure Services · Program/operating support$615,0002024 tax year
- Waterloo Community Schools · Program support$216,9002024 tax year
- Hawkeye Community College Foundation · Scholarships/program support$160,5002024 tax year
- Uni Foundation · Program support$140,0002024 tax year
- Youth Art Team · Program support$75,0002024 tax year
- Ywca · Program support$50,5002024 tax year
- Nashua-Plainfield School District · Program support$50,0002024 tax year
- RIYO · Program support$50,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Kathy Flynn — Trustee
- Raleigh Buckmaster — Trustee
- Megan McKenzie — Executive Director
- Sally Hollis — Trustee
- Michael Young — Trustee
- Robert Smith JR — Trustee
- James Waterbury — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,039,379 | $2,223,400 | $49,648,668 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $3,497,048 | $2,568,931 | $50,567,566 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,741,413 | $2,067,110 | $52,843,328 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to R.J. McElroy Trust?
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Applying to R.J. McElroy Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required