After more than 30 years of Too Many String Band, learn about the genesis of the beloved group, their song selections, and the connection with the town of Grinnell and the campus community.

From library play areas to farm-fresh food boxes and after-school art carts — the impact of Grinnell College’s Spring 2025 Community Mini-Grants is beginning to take shape. This year, the College has awarded $30,248 in grant funding to six local organizations whose projects aim to enhance quality of life, expand access to food and childcare, and strengthen the foundations of nonprofit work in the Grinnell area.

Meet Tilly Woodward - as curator of Academic and Community Outreach with the Grinnell College Museum of Art (GCMoA), Woodward finds her days highly varied, deeply involved with the community, and always packed full. Over the past year, she has planned and facilitated 451 classes and events for people of all ages in collaboration with 39 community partners, 13 campus departments, and 35 individual faculty members.

This summer, 12 Iowa National Service Corps (INSC) members are leading the way in empowering local youth through a unique blend of learning, creativity, and community connection. As part of the Grinnell Education Partnership’s Summer Learning Collaborative, these young leaders are dedicating their summer to combating summer learning loss and building meaningful relationships with children across the Grinnell area. 

The museum’s relocation and transformation mark a new era for the organization, which has served the community for over 70 years. Originally established in 1952 by four local women’s clubs, the museum first opened in a small space above Cunningham Drug Store on Fourth Avenue. The McMurray House will remain open as well and new space will be in addition to the prior museum.

Grinnell College students partnered with local organizations to pitch innovative, community-focused solutions as part of the annual SPARK Challenge. Two teams were awarded $4,000 each to implement projects supporting early childhood literacy and food access through community gardens.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) recently partnered with Special Olympics Iowa to host their annual Central Region Track and Field Qualifier on April 26.

Surrounded by faculty, staff, family, and friends, over 400 graduates walked across the stage, symbolizing the culmination of their academic journeys and the beginning of new chapters ahead.

Local Student Tanner Alger ’25 Maps a Path Toward Digital Access Focused on Mahaska, Poweshiek, and Tama Counties.

Storytime Art in the Park: Read it, See it, Make it, Eat it” returns with new funding and renewed purpose.