Grinnell College chooses to invest in the local community — both to contribute responsibly to important public resources and also to help the town be a strong asset in attracting students, faculty, and staff. Since the Community Enhancement (now Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research) office was formalized in 1999, Grinnell College has invested over $10 million in community development initiatives.
Focus Areas
Grinnell College's local investments have supported College and community strategic priorities, such as:
- education
- healthcare
- public infrastructure
- downtown development
- historic preservation/adaptive re-use
- parks and recreation
- economic development
Considerations
When considering participation, Grinnell College works with community leadership on a project-by-project basis and typically looks for:
- impact on the College and broader community
- degree of community support/partnership
Financial Approaches
Grinnell College employs a varied toolbox, customizing the financial approach to the project at hand. Approaches we have used to date include:
Donations. Cash or real estate donations to community capital improvements. Past examples include:
- medical center improvements
- high school additions/renovations (gym, auditorium, and science wing)
- public safety building
- public library
- park and trail improvements
Investments. Equity investments in local LLCs with community enhancement purposes. Current examples include:
- Strand Theatre, LLC
- Greater Grinnell Development Inc.
Campus Improvements with a Community Focus. Improvements to College facilities specifically designed to address both campus and community needs, including:
- Old Glove Factory: Adaptive reuse of a historic manufacturing plant into College offices and community meeting space.
- 8th Avenue: Traffic calming, as well as service and streetscape improvements for a city street bisecting campus.
- Pioneer Bookshop: College bookstore on the downtown square.
- Natatorium: College aquatic center designed to accommodate both campus and community competitive swimming including youth and high school swim teams.
- Renfrow Hall: A unique facility at the nexus between the College campus and Grinnell's central business district. This project, comprised of a student residence and the Katherine Howell Weingart '61 Civic Innovation Pavilion, honors Edith Renfrow Smith, Grinnell College class of ’37 and Grinnell High School class of ’32 — and, like its namesake, links the town and College together in shared experiences.
Buying Local. Each year, Grinnell College student spending contributes over $4 million in local economic impact. In 2023, a student initiative expanded on this, working with Dining Services to create a Downtown Dining Dollars program at Grinnell businesses, which now includes six local establishments. The College does not currently collect any income from these transactions. Instead, local businesses receive all payments directly from students’ dining dollar balances through the College’s dining card system (excluding small service and transaction fees), with the added bonus of reimbursing all businesses within 48 hours of purchase.
Grinnell establishments accepting dining dollars include: