Variety — the Children's Charity of Iowa
Variety Compassion Fund · About this organization
What you get
Help with birthday cake during hospitalization, gas cards, immediate phone, heat, or electric bills, parent meals and sibling care.
How to start
Your social worker sends the referral.
Good to know
- Ask your hospital social worker or nurse whether you can receive help more than once.
The details, as published
The Variety Compassion Fund gives frontline social workers and nurses resources for families experiencing a long hospital stay with a critically ill child at one of six named Iowa facilities. Published support includes gas cards, parent meals, immediate phone, heat or electric bills, sibling care, and a birthday cake during hospitalization. Families ask their hospital social worker or nurse; the public pages do not state an award limit, length-of-stay threshold, or repeat-use rule.
What help you may get
Childcare
Variety Compassion Fund — childcare
The Variety Compassion Fund gives frontline social workers and nurses resources for families experiencing a long hospital stay with a critically ill child at one of six named Iowa facilities. Published support includes gas cards, parent meals, immediate phone, heat or electric bills, sibling care, and a birthday cake during hospitalization. Families ask their hospital social worker or nurse; the public pages do not state an award limit, length-of-stay threshold, or repeat-use rule.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Birthday cake during hospitalization
- Gas cards
- Immediate phone, heat, or electric bills
- Parent meals
- Sibling care
- No fixed award or public benefit ceiling is published.
- The official pages do not publish a complete repeat-benefit rule.
Household Bills And Cash Assistance
Variety Compassion Fund — household bills and cash assistance
The Variety Compassion Fund gives frontline social workers and nurses resources for families experiencing a long hospital stay with a critically ill child at one of six named Iowa facilities. Published support includes gas cards, parent meals, immediate phone, heat or electric bills, sibling care, and a birthday cake during hospitalization. Families ask their hospital social worker or nurse; the public pages do not state an award limit, length-of-stay threshold, or repeat-use rule.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Birthday cake during hospitalization
- Gas cards
- Immediate phone, heat, or electric bills
- Parent meals
- Sibling care
- No fixed award or public benefit ceiling is published.
- The official pages do not publish a complete repeat-benefit rule.
Meals And Food
Variety Compassion Fund — meals and food
The Variety Compassion Fund gives frontline social workers and nurses resources for families experiencing a long hospital stay with a critically ill child at one of six named Iowa facilities. Published support includes gas cards, parent meals, immediate phone, heat or electric bills, sibling care, and a birthday cake during hospitalization. Families ask their hospital social worker or nurse; the public pages do not state an award limit, length-of-stay threshold, or repeat-use rule.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Birthday cake during hospitalization
- Gas cards
- Immediate phone, heat, or electric bills
- Parent meals
- Sibling care
- No fixed award or public benefit ceiling is published.
- The official pages do not publish a complete repeat-benefit rule.
Practical Items And Home Help
Variety Compassion Fund — practical items and home help
The Variety Compassion Fund gives frontline social workers and nurses resources for families experiencing a long hospital stay with a critically ill child at one of six named Iowa facilities. Published support includes gas cards, parent meals, immediate phone, heat or electric bills, sibling care, and a birthday cake during hospitalization. Families ask their hospital social worker or nurse; the public pages do not state an award limit, length-of-stay threshold, or repeat-use rule.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Birthday cake during hospitalization
- Gas cards
- Immediate phone, heat, or electric bills
- Parent meals
- Sibling care
- No fixed award or public benefit ceiling is published.
- The official pages do not publish a complete repeat-benefit rule.
Travel And Transportation
Variety Compassion Fund — travel and transportation
The Variety Compassion Fund gives frontline social workers and nurses resources for families experiencing a long hospital stay with a critically ill child at one of six named Iowa facilities. Published support includes gas cards, parent meals, immediate phone, heat or electric bills, sibling care, and a birthday cake during hospitalization. Families ask their hospital social worker or nurse; the public pages do not state an award limit, length-of-stay threshold, or repeat-use rule.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Birthday cake during hospitalization
- Gas cards
- Immediate phone, heat, or electric bills
- Parent meals
- Sibling care
- No fixed award or public benefit ceiling is published.
- The official pages do not publish a complete repeat-benefit rule.
Why this may help
Childcare: Sibling care can be arranged alongside help with expenses during a long hospital stay.
Practical Items And Home Help: The fund can help with immediate household needs while you stay with your hospitalized child.
Travel And Transportation: Gas cards help with travel during your child's long hospital stay.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. A child hospitalized for B-ALL at a named partner facility fits the published critically-ill-child and long-stay setting.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
- The page says “child” but publishes no numerical age rule.
Treatment status
No specific treatment status is published.
- A provider must verify the patient or diagnosis.
- A frontline social worker or nurse at a named facility identifies the need and distributes support.
- No numerical household-income limit is published on the reviewed official pages.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
Residence coverage is not published clearly; confirm with the program.
Where your child is treated
Treatment must be through: The child must be served through one of the six facilities named on the official program page..
- The child must be served through one of the six facilities named on the official program page.
Where the service, camp, stay, or experience happens
- Iowa — Iowa — Iowa
- Blank Children's Hospital — Blank Children's Hospital
- ChildServe — ChildServe
- Mary Greeley Medical Center — Mary Greeley Medical Center
- Mercy Medical Center — Mercy Medical Center
- MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center — MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center
- UnityPoint Health–St. Luke's Hospital — UnityPoint Health–St. Luke's Hospital
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? Yes. Ask your child’s social worker or care team to begin the request.
Who can start: Healthcare Team, Social Worker
- Confirm the form and timing of the approved support.
- Tell the hospital social worker or nurse about the immediate family need.
- The frontline professional determines whether Compassion Fund support is appropriate and available.
Ways to apply or ask
- Hospital Workflow · Open form or page · 515-243-4660 — Ask the child’s social worker or nurse at a named partner facility.
- Online Portal · Open form or page
- Online Portal · Open form or page
Documents to prepare
The program does not publish a document checklist. Ask before gathering paperwork.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Not Published |
| Funding or space | Fund Dependent |
| Application window | Rolling |
| Last checked | Aug 24, 2026 |
- The current official program page names active partner facilities and a hospital-mediated distribution path; support depends on donated funds and local professional review.
Limitations and things to confirm
- A social worker or nurse controls access.
- Only the named partner facilities are published.
- The long-stay threshold, award cap, frequency, and current fund level are not published.
- Are funds available at the child’s facility now?
- How long must the hospital stay be?
- How quickly can each type of need be met?
- Is Broadlawns currently a partner, and can specialized treatment without critical illness or a long stay qualify?
- Is there an income or financial-need screen?
- What are the amount and repeat-use limits?
- Which documents does the social worker or nurse need?
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- Variety Compassion Fund · checked Aug 24, 2026
- Variety Compassion Fund · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Get Help · checked Aug 24, 2026
- Get Help · checked Aug 23, 2026