Iowa West Foundation Awards $4 Million in Grant and Initiative Funding

(Council Bluffs, IA) The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved more than $4 million in grants and initiatives funding to 22 non-profit organizations and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

The Council Bluffs Community School District received $404,000 in initiative funding to continue implementing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle School Program at both Kirn and Wilson Middle Schools.

“Education is a key focus area for the foundation,” said Pete Tulipana, President, and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation. “We know that education and the needs of students continues to evolve and change so we’re proud to support IB education, an inquiry-based educational model that has been enormously successful at the elementary level.”

CBCSD also received $100,000 to continue the implementation of BLink – Council Bluff’s free Wi-Fi – across the city.

Additionally, Tri-Center Schools received $50,000 to launch their preschool program for 3-year-olds and start a before- and after-care program for students in the district. AHSTW Community Schools received an $85,492 grant to purchase equipment in support of their career and technical education programming.

“Career and technical education is a path to well-paying jobs in our community,” said AHSTW Superintendent Jesse Ulrich, “To meet the demands of employers, we need equipment and materials that help students develop critical job skills. Iowa West’s initiative funds will allow us to upgrade our equipment and meet the needs of both students and employers in our community.”

The Iowa West Board also approved Phase 1 funding totaling $1,700,000 for the West Broadway Reconstruction project.

“West Broadway’s beautification efforts are key to our city’s continued growth,” Tulipana said. “We believe this project is critical to the future development of Council Bluffs.”

Pottawattamie County received $222,500 for the implementation of a rural recycling center to be located just north of Oakland. The centralized location will offer recycling to rural Pottawattamie County residents for the first time, and allow the sale of items that can be repurposed, such as construction material and paint, items that previously were deemed waste.

“The vision of a new county recycling center was the effort of a citizen-based committee to increase environmental awareness and expand recycling accessibility throughout the County,” said Matt Wyant, Pottawattamie County Planning and Development Director. “These funds granted by the Iowa West Foundation will fuel those community efforts and allow the County to establish an accessible, eco-friendly, and community-based facility to meet the expanding needs of the County residents.”

In addition, the Foundation awarded nearly $50,000 to five Pottawattamie County fire departments as part of its ongoing commitment to rural southwest Iowa communities. The Avoca, Neola and Treynor Volunteer Fire Departments and the Macedonia Fire and Rescue each received $10,000 and the Minden Fire and Rescue Department received $9,752, all for equipment upgrades.

About the Iowa West Foundation

The Iowa West Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the Midwest. It has distributed more than $400 million to nonprofits and governmental agencies through southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska since the inception of its grant program. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. IWRA is the license sponsor for Ameristar and Harrah’s and the license holder for Horseshoe-Bluffs Run. The Foundation targets resources into programs and projects that focus on economic development, education, placemaking and healthy families.

Cycle 2 2017 Grants and Initiatives

Avoca Hancock Shelby Tennant Walnut (AHSTW) Community Schools
Career & Technical Education Equipment
$85,492

Ballet Nebraska
Season 8: Momentum, The Nutcracker, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
$125,000

Centro Latino of Iowa
Operational Support 2017-18
$75,000

City of Council Bluffs
Sternhill Park – Art in the Park
$54,500

West Broadway Beautification/Phase 1
$1,700,000

City of Shelby
Sewer System Improvement
$150,000

Council Bluffs Community School District
BLink Wi-Fi network
$100,000

Middle Schools’ International Baccalaureate Program, Year 2
$404,000

Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs
Neighborhood Network
$70,000

Joslyn Art Museum
Kent Bellows Mentoring Program
$20,500

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa
Wish Granting/Adopt-A-Wish
$20,000

Omaha Conservatory of Music
Violin Sprouts Council Bluffs
$35,500

Omaha Creative Institute
Professional Development Series
$3,000

Omaha Performing Arts Society
Orpheum Theater’s 90th Anniversary Capital Improvements
$100,000

Omaha Theater Company
Rose Theater Field Trips for CBCSD First Graders
$7,112.50

Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency
Heartland 2050 Implementation/Close the Gap
$65,000

Pheasants Forever, Inc.
Precision Agriculture Technology Integration
$73,671

Pottawattamie Arts Culture & Entertainment (PACE)
Arts and Culture Center
$408,195

Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors
Rural Recycling Center
$222,500

Radio Talking Book Service
Radio Talking Book Network
$3,500

Red Oak Grand Theatre, Inc.
Phase II – Theatre Addition
$90,000

Tri-Center Community School District
Preschool/Before & After School Programming
$50,000

Fire Departments:
Avoca Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000
Macedonia Fire & Rescue – $10,000
Minden Volunteer Fire & Rescue – $9,752
Neola Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000
Treynor Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000