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Foundations / Illinois

Joel L Gerdes Scholarship Fund

Accepts applications Dixon, Illinois · EIN 814435021

Joel L Gerdes Scholarship Fund is a private foundation in Dixon, Illinois. In tax year 2025 it gave $32,793 in 3 grants; the typical grant was $9,260 and the largest $17,000. It accepts applications; its filing gives the instructions below.

From its IRS Form 990-PF for tax year 2025.

Giving in 2025 was down from $39,599 the year before.

67% of its 2025 grantees had not received a grant from it the year before, a sign it is open to new organizations.

Giving by year

Tax yearGrants paidNumber of grantsAssets
2023$20,0003$946,628
2024$39,5994$964,572
2025$32,7933$1.0 million

How to apply

ContactNicole Jones
101 W 1st St, Dixon, IL 61021
Phone or email(815) 285-5186, njones@midlandsb.com
What to submitFor scholarship awards, students must send in a written request for funds along with a brief resume of academic qualifications. This is usually submitted via a transcript of grades. The organization then reviews the request and will award funds to the most deserving candidates to assist the individuals in pursuing higher education at a college or university.

As written in the foundation's IRS filing for tax year 2025. Details may have changed since.

IRS filings on ProPublica

What Joel L Gerdes Scholarship Fund funds

Where it gives

All of its grants went to recipients in Illinois.

StateGrantsAmount
Illinois3$32,793

Grants paid in 2025

All 3 grants
RecipientPurposeAmount
Educators of Beauty
Sterling, IL
Educational scholarship$17,000
Sauk Valley Community College
Dixon, IL
Educational scholarship$9,260
Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, IL
Educational scholarship$6,533

Officers and trustees

As listed in Part VIII of the 2025 filing.

Questions people ask

Does Joel L Gerdes Scholarship Fund accept grant applications?

Yes. Its latest IRS filing says it accepts applications.

How much does Joel L Gerdes Scholarship Fund give?

$32,793 in tax year 2025, across 3 grants, with a typical grant of $9,260.

Who runs Joel L Gerdes Scholarship Fund?

Its 2025 filing lists Gayla Topp (President), Nicole Jones (Treasurer), Allen Harden (Director) and John Byar (Director).

What does Joel L Gerdes Scholarship Fund fund?

Based on its grants, mainly education.

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