During the past seventy years, the Foundation has made grants totaling over $17.3 Million to a wide variety of charitable causes, ranging widely in scope and geography. However, in recent years the focus of the Foundation has narrowed. In our most recent grant sessions, approximately 95% of grants were made to organizations within 20 miles of Dubuque, Iowa. Those recipients located outside of the area were organizations with a personal relationship with a Foundation Trustee. At our 2021 Annual Meeting, we received requests from just under 50 organizations, asking for a total of $500,000, and we made grants totaling nearly $250,000.

Grants were made for basic human needs, such as: emergency assistance for families, medical care for seminarians from foreign countries, domestic violence prevention, food and housing for the needy, scholarships for low-income students, crisis care for children, and safety training for a residence for people with disabilities. No grants are made to individuals. Only 2% of funds were for the Arts. Rejected requests were primarily from outside the Dubuque area, for projects with few beneficiaries, or for projects that did not support basic needs such as food, shelter, education, or medical care .

Some past recipients include: Catholic Charities of Dubuque, Clarke University, Wahlert High School, Finley Hospital, Salvation Army, Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque, Dubuque Rescue Mission, Divine Word Seminary, Hills & Dales, Hillcrest Family Services,Sisters of Charity BVM,Opening Doors, Luthor Manor, Dubuque Dream Center, and Riverview Center. Most recipients were also recipients in prior years, and have proven to be wise stewards of the funds they have received in the past.