Iowa West Foundation Awards Nearly $8 Million in Grants & Initiatives

 

(Council Bluffs, IA) The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved $7.9 million in grants and initiatives funding to 41 nonprofit organizations and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

A common thread among many of the grants included the benefit to rural communities throughout the region. Leading the way was Pottawattamie County, which received over half a million dollars for various projects including the CITIES program, a rural housing study, and the Arrowhead Campground in Neola. Other communities receiving funding were Carson, Glenwood, Oakland, Underwood, Walnut and Woodbine as well as Mills County.

“We know the region is stronger when our rural communities are vibrant and flourishing,” said Pete Tulipana, President and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation. “The Iowa West Foundation’s vision of a place where families want to live and businesses want to locate includes all communities in our geographic funding area.”

Another major focus of the latest cycle of funding included the Foundation’s continued efforts on education and workforce development. The Council Bluffs Community School District received more than $500,000 for summer school programming, while Iowa Western Community College Foundation received more than $1.1 million for the Pottawattamie Promise scholarship initiative. The Council Bluffs Chamber via the Greater Omaha Chamber Foundation received $150,000 to improve the workforce ecosystem.

Lastly, for the fifth year in a row, the Iowa West Foundation granted general operating support through its multi-year funding program. Approximately $2.2 million was awarded to 17 different organizations for services in Pottawattamie County.

“Multi-year funding is a best practice in philanthropy because it allows organizations to spend more time and effort focused on their missions knowing they can count on general operating support,” said Deb Debbaut, Director of Grants Programs at IWF. “Our multi-year funding recipients include both human services organizations that serve our most vulnerable populations, education entities, and arts nonprofits that serve the greater region, all of which are cornerstone in the community.”

The Letter of Inquiry Period for the second cycle of 2020 closes on March 15. Applications are due April 15^th.

 About the Iowa West Foundation

The Iowa West Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the Midwest. It has distributed more than $500 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.

2020 Cycle 1 Grants and Initiatives

Carson Volunteer Fire Department
Extraction tools
$10,000

Catholic Charities Diocese of Des Moines
Domestic violence and sexual assault prevention program
$13,332

City of Glenwood
Vine street pickleball courts
$40,000

Council Bluffs Area Pickleball Club
Start up grant   
$5,000

Council Bluffs Community School District
Summer School 2020 and 2021
$531,000

Greater Omaha Chamber Foundation
Council Bluffs workforce ecosystem
$150,000

Greater Omaha Chamber Foundation
ConnectGO – Council Bluffs
$85,000

Impact Hill
Operating funding for 2020
$74,000

Iowa West Foundation Initiative
Looking Up
$100,000

Iowa West Foundation Initiative
IWF Sports Plex               
$961,328

Iowa Western Community College Foundation        
Pottawattamie Promise 2020-2021           
$1,122,953

Lewis Township Fire and Rescue
Purchase of wildland fire and technical rescue personal protective equipment
$10,000

Mills County Public Health
Mills County Parents as Teachers
$22,000

National Arbor Day Foundation
Emerald Ash Borer community tree recovery       
$75,000

Omaha Bridges Out of Poverty, Inc.
Southwest Iowa poverty alleviation initiative      
$100,000

Omaha Community Foundation        
Pottawattamie Gives! incentives for new donors
$23,000

Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation     
Hitchcock Nature Center infrastructure improvements project     
$325,000

Pottawattamie County
Arrowhead Campground bridge
$44,000

Pottawattamie County              
CITIES regional housing study   
$35,000

Pottawattamie County              
2020 CITIES program    
$432,377

Pottawattamie County              
Conservation initiative
$750,000

Pottawattamie County Development Corporation
Operating funding
$250,000

Underwood Fire Department
Turnout gear
$10,000

United Way of the Midlands
Community Care Fund  
$255,500

Walnut Volunteer Fire Department
Turnout gear     
$9,992

Woodbine Community Foundation
Woodbine Regional Wellness Center
$250,000

Multi-Year Funding Recipients

Ballet Nebraska
$125,000.00

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands
$85,000

FAMILY, Inc. 
$120,000

Green Hills AEA – Preschool
$1,100,000

Heartland Family Service
$330,000

Iowa Western Community College Foundation – Performing Arts Center
$30,000

Immigrant Legal Center
$65,000

Joslyn Art Museum
$25,000

Lauritzen Gardens
$12,500

Lutheran Family Services
$50,000

MICAH House
$90,000

Omaha Children’s Museum
$45,000

Omaha Symphony Association
$25,000

Opera Omaha
$25,000

Railroad Days
$25,000

Rose Theater
$25,000

The Durham Museum
$25,000