Fifty-Two Organizations Get $3000 Grants From Riverboat Foundation

Larchwood, Iowa — Several area non-profits and projects received a $3000 shot-in-the-arm from an area foundation recently.

On Thursday, April 30, 2026, the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation tells us they awarded $154,000 to 52 organizations in Northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota, and Southeast South Dakota at their 2026 Mini Grant award ceremony. They tell us that about 220 people representing various nonprofit organizations, schools, and local governments attended the ceremony, which was held at the Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort event center, near Larchwood.

Foundation officials tell us that organizations from 29 different cities were awarded a grant. Cities with the most recipients include Rock Rapids with nine, Sioux Falls with eight, and Larchwood with four. Other cities with multiple recipients include Ashton, Brandon, Crooks, Inwood, and Rock Valley. For the 2026 mini-grant cycle, 94 applications were considered from 39 different cities.

Some of the grant recipients nearer to Sheldon included Northwest Iowa Community College, which will use their grant toward a Transfer Major Summer Camp; the Hospers Firefighters Association, which will use their grant toward station furniture; the Ashton Community Fire Department, which will use their grant toward water rescue suits; the Ashton Public Library, which will use their grant toward new tables, Mustang Youth Sports, which will use their grant toward a Ball Field UTV; Little Critters Splash Pad of Paullina, which will use their grant toward the splash pad; the Sibley Public Library, which will use their grant toward Technology & Teen Space upgrades; the Sioux Center Police Department, which will use their grant toward translator devices; the Little Rock Public Library, which will use their grant toward a Library Drop Box; Sleep In Heavenly Peace of Doon, which will use their grant toward a Bed Build; the Rock Valley Community School District, which will use their grant toward a school bus radio project; Hope Haven, which will use their grant toward the My Day Community Integration Project, and the May City Volunteer Fire Department, which will use their grant toward fire hall beautification.

The Lyon County Riverboat Foundation distributes funding generated through gaming revenue at Grand Falls Casino, as required by Iowa law.

In 2026 alone, the foundation expects to distribute more than $3 million, bringing its lifetime giving to over $36 million since it was established in 2011.

Click here for pictures of the grant recipients on the foundation’s Facebook Page

Many other grants were given. Here is the complete list:

KIWA Staff Photo