In 1975, the Ames City Council appointed more than 30 citizens to the Ames American Revolution Bicentennial Commission to plan for the city’s participation in the 200th anniversary of our country. Persons on this commission were given the opportunity to serve in one of three areas: Heritage, Festival or Horizon. Heritage volunteers dealt with history, the Festival group planned for the actual celebration and the Horizon team focused on the future of the city.
The Horizon group thus became the ongoing section of the Ames American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, which was incorporated into the present non-profit organization to serve as a depository and collection organization for gifts and bequests “to make the City of Ames a better place to live.”
The Ames Foundation was incorporated in May of 1975.
