We are establishing a charitable fund in memory of our parents, James and Patricia Nelson. Donations made in their memory have already helped support scholarships for students from central Iowa pursuing an education in the performing arts. Building on that foundation, we are expanding our mission to continue raising funds and broaden the scholarship criteria to include students studying botany, as well as to support non-commercial community gardening projects throughout central Iowa.
The fund is managed and advised by Jim and Pat's children and grandchildren, and is being organized by family members who share a deep connection to the region. Our family roots are in Winterset, Iowa, where many of us were raised and graduated from high school, and we are proud to carry this work forward in our parents' honor.
We are currently in the process of establishing the organization with a tax ID in Iowa and registering as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, so that donors may receive tax receipts for their contributions. The company is registered as JIM AND PAT NELSON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND COMPANY and will operate without paid employees and with minimal administrative expenses. We hope to begin awarding additional scholarship grants in the summer of 2025, pending the completion of our nonprofit status.
For more information, please contact ryan@nelson.dev.