Compassion Fund
Funding Amount
Not stated
Deadline
Rolling (quarterly review)
Grant Type
Foundation
Deadline history & next window
- Cycle
- Rolling — applications accepted year-round
- Tracked since
- April 2026
Source: the cycle recorded on this listing. Confirm dates with the funder.
Can we apply?
Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.
Eligible organizations
- Blank Children's Hospital
- Luke's Hospital
Other requirements
- *Central Iowa:*
- ChildServe
- Mary Greeley Medical Center
- Mercy
Overview
Geographic Scope: Central Iowa and Eastern Iowa
Program Overview
Variety partners with Iowa hospitals to help critically ill children and their families by providing comfort, care, and fulfilling immediate needs. The Compassion Fund allows frontline social workers to identify needs and distribute funds immediately, providing much-needed relief for families.
Eligible Locations
Central Iowa:
- Blank Children's Hospital
- ChildServe
- Mary Greeley Medical Center
- MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center
Eastern Iowa:
- Mercy Medical Center
- UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital
Types of Support Provided
- Gas cards for frequent travel to appointments
- Meals for parents spending weeks at the hospital
- Payment of immediate bills (phone, heat, electricity)
- Birthday cakes for children spending special days in hospital beds
- Care for siblings when parents need to stay with their ill child
- Sleepsacks for newborns at partner hospitals
Sleepsacks Program
Variety provides Sleepsacks for newborns as a safer alternative to loose blankets:
- Help reduce risk of suffocation
- Keep babies at comfortable temperature
- Provide sense of security and comfort
- Help lower risk of SIDS
- Support safe sleep practice modeling for parents
How to Access
Families experiencing long hospital stays with critically ill children should reach out to their social worker or nurse to access the Compassion Fund.
Contact Information
Variety – the Children's Charity of Iowa
- Address: 505 5th Avenue Suite 310, Des Moines, IA 50309
- Phone: (515) 243-4660
- Website: varietyiowa.com
Special Events
Two Days of Compassion Radiothon: December 11 & 12
- Presented by Hy-Vee
- Newsradio 1040 WHO
- 106.3 KXNO on Iowa Sports Radio Network
- KDAT in eastern Iowa
How to Apply
How to Access the Compassion Fund
Application Process:
- If experiencing a long hospital stay with a critically ill child at a partner hospital
- Reach out to your social worker or nurse at the hospital
- Social workers distribute funds immediately based on identified needs
No formal application required - frontline social workers at partner hospitals identify needs and distribute funds directly.
Eligible Hospitals (Partner Locations):
Central Iowa:
- Blank Children's Hospital
- ChildServe
- Mary Greeley Medical Center
- MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center
Eastern Iowa:
- Mercy Medical Center
- UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital
Past recipients of this program
Recent awards under this program (from Variety - the Children's Charity of Iowa's IRS filings)
Des Moines, IA · 2025
$61K
St Luke's Health Care Foundation
Cedar Rapids, IA · 2025
$27K
Mercyone Des Moines Foundation
Des Moines, IA · 2025
$21K
Johnston, IA · 2025
$16K
West Des Moines, IA · 2025
$13K
16 grants in Variety - the Children's Charity of Iowa's 2020–2025 filings reference “Compassion Fund” in their stated purpose. Amounts and places as reported by the funder.
What Variety - the Children's Charity of Iowa actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2025
- Grants in 2025
- 90
- Total given
- $1.76M
- Median grant
- $13K
- Range
- $5,350–$93K
- By dollars: Iowa >99%, Georgia <1%. Top recipient cities: Des Moines, IA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Dubuque, IA.
- 0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
- 40% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.
Example grants
Childserve Foundation · Johnston, IA
New center construction
$93K
Crittenton Center · Sioux City, IA
Renovations to the transitional therapeutic home building
$75K
Mercyone Des Moines Foundation · Des Moines, IA
Panda warmer cabinets
$64K
Blank Children's Hospital · Des Moines, IA
Compassion fund
$61K
Oakridge Neighborhood Services · Des Moines, IA
15-passenger van
$57K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Youth programs
- Healthcare
- Family services
Categories
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