Give Now
Select Your Category
The Okoboji Foundation is home to several Foundation Funds and Nonprofit Partner Funds that are open for anyone to support. These funds provide an easy way to make a meaningful difference in the Iowa Great Lakes region without establishing your own charitable fund.
Select Your Category
The Okoboji Foundation is home to several Foundation Funds and Nonprofit Partner Funds that are open for anyone to support. These funds provide an easy way to make a meaningful difference in the Iowa Great Lakes region without establishing your own charitable fund.
Okoboji Foundation Funds
Fuel our annual grant making process and help fund impactful projects in arts and culture, outdoor recreation, and lake quality and environment across the Iowa Great Lakes region.
Partner Funds
Give directly to funds established by area nonprofits to support their missions, operations, and long-term impact in our community.
Okoboji Foundation Funds
Fuel our annual grant making process and help fund impactful projects in arts and culture, outdoor recreation, and lake quality and environment across the Iowa Great Lakes region.
Partner Funds
Give directly to funds established by area nonprofits to support their missions, operations, and long-term impact in our community.
GiveBoji
Discover local projects that need community support and connect your generosity with opportunities to make a difference across the Iowa Great Lakes.
Youth in Philanthropy
Support the next generation of philanthropists as local students raise funds and award grants to impactful projects throughout our community.
Okoboji Foundation Funds
The following funds have been established by the Okoboji Foundation to receive donations that are used to fund the annual grant process as well as the programs and activities of the foundation.
Okoboji Foundation Endowment Funds
Your donation to the Endowment funds of the Okoboji Foundation will be used to support the annual grant process of the Foundation. Each year area nonprofits apply to the Foundation for dollars to support capital projects and programs that enhance the Iowa Great Lakes region. A gift to our Endow Iowa Fund may provide the donor with a 25% State of Iowa tax credit.
Operations Endowment Fund
Gifts to the Operations fund of the Okoboji Foundation as used to ensure professional, effective donor services and resource management.
Field Of Interest Funds
The Okoboji Foundation offers three field of interest funds that help donors support the causes they care about while giving the Foundation flexibility to meet community needs. All field of interest funds are Endow Iowa qualified and may provide donors with a 25% Iowa state tax credit.
partner funds
Area non-profits partner with the Foundation to create funds specific to the operational needs of the agency. Donors can give directly to any nonprofit fund by giving a gift to any of our nonprofit partners listed below.
Camp Foster YMCA
Dickinson County Nature Center
Dickinson County Trails
First Lutheran Church of West Okoboji
Historic Arnolds Park Inc.
Friends of Lakeside Lab
Iowa Lakes Corridor Development
Iowa Rock 'N Roll Music Association
Okoboji Community Schools Foundation
Lakes Regional Healthcare Foundation
Okoboji Summer Theatre
Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School
Pearson Lakes Art Center
Spirit Lake Community Schools Foundation
Spirit Lake Music Boosters
YMCA of the Okoboji's
Imagination Library of Dickinson County
Iowa Lakes Community College
First Presbyterian Church of Spirit Lake
GIVEBOJI
At the Okoboji Foundation, we’re committed to enhancing quality of life by connecting donors with causes that make a lasting impact. Through charitable giving and community leadership, we help address local needs and support the nonprofits serving our area.
This was created to highlight community needs and opportunities, making it easier to explore projects, learn more, and support causes that align with your values.
Waterway Restoration Project - Save Turtle Lake
Restore and Preserve Turtle Lake and the Canals
The Save Turtle Lake and Waterway Restoration Project will restore and preserve Turtle Lake and its interconnected canals, including Paddler’s Path and Wilderness Way. This effort will dredge Turtle Lake and adjacent waterways from their current depths of approximately 2 to 4 feet back to their original depths of six to eight feet, followed by shoreline stabilization measures such as riprap installation and the planting of native grasses. Successful completion of this project will improve water quality, restore habitat to better support native wildlife, prevent sediment from entering West Lake Okoboji, and enhance public access for fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and other low-impact recreational use.
Wild Prairie Winds
Sponsor Summer Chamber Music Festival
Our Summer Chamber Music Festival aims to provide engaging classical music performances that focus on accessible repertoire, venues, and outreach opportunities in the Iowa Great Lakes Region. The 2025 Festival will take place from June 3-6 with performances at Lakeside Laboratory, Pearson Lakes Art Center, and Arts on Grand.
Friends of Lakeside Lab
Innovation and Discovery Lab
Friends of Lakeside Lab supports Iowa Lakeside Laboratory and its efforts to provide K-12 and collegiate STEM and environmental education, water quality research, and community outreach. Additionally, Friends helps to support the scientists, writers and artists in residence programs. To do this, we need buildings and housing for people of all ages and abilities. Our plans include a new educational and water quality lab building, followed by a dormitory.
Imagination Library of Dickinson County
Give the Gift of Reading
We are raising funds to activate Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Dickinson County. Funds for the first two years of the program are needed prior to program launch. Please help us donate to get free books to children from birth to age five. Imagine the difference you can make to children in our community. If you can read, you can learn to do anything!
Lake Park Historical Society
Heritage Square Annex Addition
Construct a new building or “Annex” on the existing Lake Park Heritage Square site which will serve as an educational, recreational, and fun place for families, students and visitors to convene in a civic-center type setting to learn about the heritage of Lake Park, Iowa. With it’s growing popularity, the addition of an Annex to Heritage Square Depot Museum will provide an even greater opportunity to highlight the history of our unique community, and the people who have served in the U.S. Military on behalf of this nation.
YOUTH IN PHILANTHROPY
Everyone is invited to sponsor YIP. There is nothing to buy. The entire amount of your gift to the YIP Annual Grants fund is used for grant awards to vital community projects steered by student decision. If you choose to give to the YIP Endowment Fund your donation is invested and a portion of the fund proceeds are used each year to support the annual grant process. *Your gift to this fund is also eligible for the state of Iowa 25% state tax credit.