Small MATCH grants support promising projects that help individuals, families and communities achieve better health with funding requests up to $25,000. The Wellmark Foundation offers grants to projects that either:
- Create a safe environment to be physically active in.
- Increases access to and consumption of healthy foods.
Get Small MATCH grant eligibility and application details.
See the great work that has been accomplished with funding from the Small MATCH grant.
Doland Park Revitalization
This project will modernize, refurbish and rehabilitate Doland City Park. The project will occur in two phases. The first phase includes re-configuring and refinishing the tennis and basketball courts, adding a new splash pad and a public restroom. The second phase will include a new playground, horseshoe pit and life-size checkerboard for all community members to enjoy.
Tennis Court Restoration
The city of Earlham plans to restore its tennis courts, which are conveniently located in the center of town. The restoration will include resurfacing and repainting the courts while also installing new posts, nets and lights to enhance the safety and functionality of the area.
J Street Trail Connection
The J Street Trail Connection includes a trail extension, adding a pedestrian crosswalk and a sidewalk extension. This connection will create a safe area for pedestrians to cross Highway 69 so they can easily access community services, schools, parks and businesses.
Trail and Trailhead Project
This project will connect Glenwood, Iowa, to Bellevue, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. It will create nearly 2.5 miles of paved trails with six bridges that will improve access to parks, youth athletic facilities, the aquatic center and several area schools. The trailhead will include a safe parking area for residents to engage in school and park activities.
Vine Street Pickleball Courts
The city of Glenwood and the Southwest Iowa Pickleball Committee are working to create six pickleball courts. This project will replace the city's dilapidated 50-year-old tennis courts with well-designed, low-maintenance pickleball courts. These new courts will provide the first opportunity for outdoor pickleball play in Southwest Iowa.
Trail Hub and Creek Crossing
Through a community visioning process, Granger residents identified a need for more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly routes and facilities. As a result, the city will create a creek crossing and trail hub to connect residential neighborhoods, a sports complex, a park, an existing walking path and an elementary school for both walkers and bicyclists.
City Park Walking Trail
This project will create a walking trail around the perimeter of the city park, which is comprised of nearly four acres of greenspace. The trail will be both pedestrian and bicycle friendly and will connect with two existing hard surfaces within the park.
Recreational Trail Home Pond Spur
The city of Lamoni and the Recreational Trails Commission will develop a paved, 900-foot trail extension from the existing trail across the dam and spillway of Home Pond. The trail will provide a loop option for users and improve connectivity and safety. The extension will provide the user a panoramic view of the city of Lamoni's scenic beauty.
Westside Park Playground Improvements
This project will replace the 40-year old, outdated playground equipment in Westside Park with new, ADA-compliant playground equipment. By updating Westside Park with new playground equipment, the city of Plankinton will be able to offer better outdoor recreational opportunities for its youngest residents and their family members.
Westside Park Walking Path
This project will create a 2,000-foot walking path that will circle around Westside Park. The new concrete walking path will be well-lit and kept clear of snow and ice for year-round use. The path is designed to provide a space for residents to safely engage in activities that promote the health of mind, body and soul.
Community Garden Expansion
The city of Sturgis has two well-established community gardens that are used to their full capacity every year by its residents. The popularity of the raised beds at the second garden has confirmed the need for adding raised beds to the original community garden. This expansion project will include installing new raised beds and an irrigation system, as well as fencing around the entire area.
Splash Pad
The Vinton Splash Pad will create a water-based play area for residents and visitors to enjoy healthy play interactions with others and their environment. The splash pad will have no admission fees and will be open to the public throughout the summer months.
Wagner Disc Golf Park
The city of Wagner will be creating a new disc golf course within a well-established park. The course will be accessible to all residents. It will provide an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to participate in the sport of disc golf.
Basketball Court for Wapello's North Park
After losing an existing basketball court, the Wapello Hometown Pride Committee is working to create a new court in North Park. The basketball court will be installed by the fall and will create a safe environment for residents of all ages to use and enjoy.
Webster Active Living Trail
During a community design event in 2014, a group of local volunteer leaders recognized the need for a trail system in and around the Webster community to provide safe areas to walk, bike, run and use wheelchairs and scooters. This project will create a 10-foot-wide, asphalt trail for residents of all ages and abilities to use year-round.
East Lake Trail
An 8-foot wide, concrete, multi-purpose trail connecting East Lake Park in rural Clarke County to Clarke Elementary School in Osceola will be constructed. The trail will also connect with a network of Safe Routes to School sidewalks and link multiple neighborhoods, activity centers, schools and retail establishments throughout Osceola together.
Lauridsen Skatepark
This project will create a state-of-the-art skatepark in downtown Des Moines for all ages and abilities to enjoy. The park will provide a safe and healthy place for all to be active. As one of the largest outdoor skateparks in the Midwest, it will engage both beginners and experienced skaters.
Big Hollow Recreation Area Natural Setting Playground
The Big Hollow Recreation Area is a 798-acre county park that offers many outdoor recreation opportunities including camping, hunting, boating, hiking and swimming. This project will add an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant playground to the park. It will include slides, swings, rock walls and a perimeter barrier with a concrete sidewalk that safely leads to the campground.
Clean room
With the addition of a new cleanroom, Feeding South Dakota will be able to safely break down bulk donations of food into smaller, family-friendly consumable portions.
Playground Improvement Project
This project involves the construction and installation of new playground equipment for children between the ages of four and 12. The project is centered on the need for safe, educational, and handicap-accessible activities to stimulate movement, encourage exercise, and promote a healthy and active lifestyle for all students and residents.
5th Street Pickleball Courts
This project will convert a deteriorating, unused tennis court into six new pickleball courts. The city has multiple tennis courts, but no pickleball courts. Pickleball is a sport friendly to all ages and is rapidly growing in popularity.
Wilson Playground Project
This project will improve the quality of play for students and enrich the community with a new playground to serve the area. All existing equipment will be replaced, and the park will be resurfaced with soft rubber.
Healthy Food
This project will develop infrastructure on the grounds of Rural America Initiatives' new campus to support the incorporation of gardens into the landscape of the eight-acre grounds. Staff will use these areas as outdoor classrooms to help children and their families develop new skills and attitudes around healthy foods as well as an opportunity to increase access to fresh vegetables.
Let's Get Our Walk On, Waukon!
This project supports efforts to connect existing sidewalks along high-traffic areas in Waukon to create walking loops and paths for the community. The grant will allow the city to construct one of four sidewalk connections.
