 INTEREST AREAS
Community Development & Beautification
The Foundation seeks to promote community development by supporting efforts that increase civic engagement and participation; neighborhood development and revitalization; housing affordability and quality; environmental sustainability; community safety and violence prevention; and the beautification of our region. Our overall goals in this area are to: improve the quality of life for residents, increase civic pride, strengthen social capital and civic infrastructure, and enhance the image and/or appearance of our region's communities. The Foundation has a special interest in projects that create and strenghten the capacity of neighborhood associations/resident organizations in Council Bluffs and rural communities in Pottawattamie County, and projects that promote development in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
An overall Foundation goal is to increase the standard of living and economic competitiveness of southwest Iowa and the Council Bluffs-Omaha metropolitan area. Toward this goal, we seek to support efforts that directly result in expanding the tax base of our community, and increasing high-quality jobs for residents. Key strategies to achieve this goal include developing a world-class workforce and retaining or creating family-wage jobs that will result in increased economic self-sufficiency for area families and residents; supporting the economic revitalization of downtown Council Bluffs; and, promoting the growth of existing business and new business development in the region. The Foundation's primaty economic development role is to serve as a catalyst by building the capacity of the public and the nonprofit sectors to effectively plan and implement economic development strategies and projects.
Education
The Foundation's overall goals in this area are to: 1) increase high school completion rates; 2) decrease high school dropout rates; and, 3) increase the percentage of residents with college degrees. This includes programs that build a continuum (from preschool through college access) of services designed to achieve the Foundation's overall education goals. The Foundation has a special interest in programs that promote early childhood development, literacy skills, improved student academic performance, workforce preparedness, and life-long learning. Proposals that address the needs of children from economically and educationally disadvantaged families are strongly encouraged. Proposals from individual schools, in our geographic target area, must be submitted through the Green Hills Area Education Agency (formerly Loess Hills AEA-13). Proposals for capital improvements to school property will not be considered.
Human and Social Needs
The Foundation places a high priority on programs that strengthen families, address the needs of under-served youth, provide services to senior citizens, and address critical human/social service needs in our community (e.g. hunger, homelessness, substance abuse) while helping individuals to reach their fullest potential. Examples of such programs include proosals that address the following: family stability; health issues; emergency/transitional housing needs; teenage pregnancy prevention; access to prenatal care; and chemical dependency issues, especially methamphetamine use. Collaboration among agencies to meet human and social needs is strongly recommended.
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