Hall-Perrine Foundation

Hall-Perrine Foundation operates as a classic family-legacy private foundation with a hyper-local, capital-infrastructure mandate. Founded in 1953 as the Hall Foundation by Cedar Rapids economic leader Howard Hall and his family, it was renamed in 1995 to honor both the Hall and Perrine families, whose bequests in 1958, 1971, and 1981 built its now $121–128 million endowment. The giving philosophy is consistent and durable: build the physical nonprofit infrastructure of Linn County. This is not a foundation that funds programs, pilots, or research — it funds bricks, equipment, and facilities.

Organizations Hall-Perrine favors share a clear profile. They are established, community-anchored nonprofits — not startups. They serve Linn County residents directly and have identifiable, defensible capital needs: a new building, a major renovation, a substantial equipment purchase. Top repeat recipients — United Way of East Central Iowa ($2.26M total), Mercy Medical Center ($2.1M), YMCA ($2M), and Brucemore ($3.18M across multiple grants) — share longevity in Cedar Rapids, strong community recognition, and large physical footprints.

First-time applicants must begin with a preliminary inquiry, not a full proposal. The foundation explicitly lists this as the first step, and skipping it signals a failure to read instructions. Call (319) 362-9079 and ask to speak with the Program Officer. Use this conversation to briefly describe your organization and capital need, confirm fit, and ask about the current review cycle. This contact is also your first relationship-building opportunity.

The typical progression: (1) preliminary inquiry call; (2) LOI form submission; (3) staff review and possible board consideration; (4) invitation to full application; (5) possible site visit; (6) board decision at one of three annual meetings. With three board meetings per year, the full cycle from LOI to decision typically runs 3–6 months. Budget your timeline accordingly — do not plan to receive funds within 60 days of first contact.

Program funding is described on the foundation's website as 'limited' and reserved for initiatives delivering 'exceptional and lasting value to the community.' This is a high bar. If your ask is primarily programmatic rather than capital, you must make a compelling case that no other funder can or will support this particular innovation, and that the program's impact will outlast the grant cycle significantly.

Hall-Perrine's annual grantmaking shows pronounced year-to-year variation driven by multi-year capital pledge payment cycles, not erratic giving. From 2019 through 2023, grants paid ranged from $1.28M (2023, a low-disbursement year) to $11.87M (2022, the highest on record). The 5-year average is approximately $6.9M per year. The dramatic swing between 2022 and 2023 reflects a common pattern for capital-focused foundations: multi-year pledges to large campaigns (e.g., Brucemore's $3.18M across multiple awards) concentrate disbursements in specific years, leaving others light. Applicants should not interpret a low-disbursement year as a sign the foundation is contracting.

From the grantee dataset of 98 awards totaling $20.02M: the average grant is $204,285 and the median is approximately $32,000. This wide gap between median and average reveals a bimodal distribution — many modest facility/equipment grants ($5K–$75K) and a smaller cohort of transformational capital awards ($500K–$2.26M+).

By dollar tier from the grantee data: - Anchor grants ($1M+): United Way ($2.26M), Mercy Medical Center ($2.1M), YMCA-Marion ($2M), Brucemore ($3.18M combined), Boys & Girls Clubs ($1M), Waypoint ($1.005M), Cedar Valley Humane Society ($1M) — collectively ~45% of total dollars - Major capital grants ($250K–$999K): City of Cedar Rapids ConnectCR/Convention Complex ($750K), City of Marion library ($500K), Coe College Health & Society Center ($700K), Foundation 2 Crisis Services ($400K), Willis Dady Homeless Services ($400K+) — ~30% of dollars - Mid-range facility grants ($50K–$249K): His Hands Free Clinic ($360K), Cornell College ($333K), African American Museum of Iowa ($500K), Eastern Iowa Health Center ($200K), Tanager Place ($750K) — ~15% - Small grants (under $50K): Trail improvements, community arts, neighborhood organizations — ~10%

By program area (estimated from grant purposes): health and human services ~30% of dollars; arts, culture, and civic infrastructure ~25%; social services and housing ~20%; community/environmental projects ~15%; education ~10%. Geography is 100% Linn County, Iowa — Cedar Rapids dominates, with Marion as a secondary focus.

The endowment produced $25M in net investment income in 2023 (assets $121.6M) and $14.1M in 2021, giving the foundation capacity to sustain grantmaking through market cycles.

The following table compares Hall-Perrine to four comparable Iowa private and community foundations. Peer financial data is drawn from public 990 filings and foundation directories; figures are approximate.

Hall-Perrine occupies a distinctive niche: it is Linn County's primary private foundation focused almost exclusively on capital infrastructure, as opposed to the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, which functions as a broad pass-through vehicle for donor-advised funds and competitive grants. Hall-Perrine's per-grant median ($32,000) and average ($157,698–$204,285) are substantially larger than typical community foundation grants, reflecting its preference for transformational capital investments. Compared to the statewide Carver Charitable Trust — Iowa's largest private foundation — Hall-Perrine is strictly local in mandate and far more concentrated in Cedar Rapids, making it the go-to private funder for Linn County capital campaigns that Carver's statewide focus would dilute.

Specific press coverage for Hall-Perrine in 2025–2026 was not found in public search results; the foundation does not maintain a news or press section on its website. However, several significant activities are documented from public records.

Leadership transition: Web-facing resources (Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center, Cedar Rapids Chamber directory) now list Echo Batson as Executive Director at 115 3rd Street SE, Suite 803, Cedar Rapids — a different name and address than the IRS-filed records for Julie L. Johnson (222 3rd Ave SE, Suite 400, compensated $128,799 in the most recent 990). This probable succession represents the most significant operational change in recent years. Johnson had served multiple years as ED with compensation documented in the 2019–2023 990 filings.

2022 disbursement peak: The foundation distributed $11.87M in grants paid in fiscal year 2022 — the largest annual disbursement in the available dataset — followed by $1.28M in 2023. This pattern strongly suggests multi-year capital pledges (such as the Brucemore $3.18M capital preservation campaign and Waypoint's $1.005M building upgrades) reached their final installment payment years.

Board stability: Jack B. Evans has served as Chair of the Board with documented compensation of $82,496/year across multiple filings, suggesting continuity in board leadership. Darrel A. Morf (Vice President), Charles M. Peters (Treasurer), and Iris E. Muchmore (Secretary) round out the officer cadre. Director-level board members include Lura E. McBride, David B. Muller MD, Jenny Schulz, and Kathy E. Eno.

Consistent capital giving: No new thematic programs or funding initiative announcements were identified. The foundation continues operating under its long-standing capital-project mandate with no evidence of strategic pivots.

These tips are specific to Hall-Perrine's culture, process, and documented grant history — not generic advice.

1. The preliminary inquiry is not optional. Hall-Perrine's grants page explicitly lists it as the first step. Call (319) 362-9079, introduce your organization briefly, describe your capital need in one sentence, and ask about the next review cycle. This call also functions as your first relationship touchpoint. Foundations that require preliminary inquiries reward applicants who treat this step seriously.

2. Translate every ask into a capital framing. Program funding exists at Hall-Perrine but is described as 'limited' and only for 'exceptional and lasting' innovations. If you're building a new clinic, renovating a shelter, or purchasing a facility — lead with the capital ask. If you also have a program component, describe it as the mission enabled by the capital investment, not as the grant purpose itself.

3. Use the foundation's exact language. Mission-aligned language in proposals includes: 'quality of life for people in Linn County,' 'lasting community benefit,' 'changing social, economic, and cultural needs.' Describe your project's impact in decades, not years.

4. Demonstrate breadth of financial support. The application requires listing all other funding sources. A matching-fund structure — where Hall-Perrine's investment catalyzes dollars from the city, other foundations, or a capital campaign — is the most compelling financial narrative. Mercy Medical Center's successful grants ($2.1M total) and YMCA's $2M award both involved major multi-funder capital campaigns.

5. Know the exclusion list cold. Endowments, past deficits, deferred maintenance, academic research, K-12 schools, religious organizations, and events are explicitly excluded. Even tangential overlap with these categories (e.g., a multi-use facility that also houses a K-12 program) should be proactively addressed to avoid disqualification.

6. Plan your LOI timing around the three annual board meetings. With no published deadlines, the foundation reviews applications at board meetings held approximately three times per year. Ask during your preliminary inquiry call when the next cycle begins, then submit your LOI 6–8 weeks in advance.

7. Build toward multi-year relationships, not one-time grants. The foundation's largest awards — United Way's $2.26M over four grants, Brucemore's $3.18M across multiple grants, Mercy Medical's $2.1M over three grants — all reflect established, long-term institutional relationships. First-time applicants should seek a successful initial grant before proposing multi-year capital pledge structures.