Every morning without fail, Jeannie Grim-Ford wakes up and makes two lists. Both are “to-do” lists, however, one is a “have to” and the other is a “want to.” For the Council Bluffs resident who prefers the term “recycled teenager” to “senior citizen,” energy is finite. So dishes “have to” get done, along with clearing the kitchen […]
Raise Me to Read will be a Community-Wide Effort (Council Bluffs, IA) A local early literacy initiative launched in Council Bluffs on Oct. 27th, in conjunction with a community-wide shared reading experience held in locations throughout the city. Raise Me to Read is a collaborative effort amongst schools, nonprofits, businesses, and families. Its goal is for […]
(Council Bluffs, IA) The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved nearly $5 million in grant and initiative funding to 21 non-profit organizations and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Education was a major theme for the final grant cycle of 2016, with $1.5 million awarded to the Council Bluffs Community School District […]
In preparing for this year’s annual report, it became clear that there were a number of major projects started in 2015 that are still in the works (at the Mid-America Center, the Riverfront, and West Broadway to name a few). Because the work on these transformational efforts is ongoing, our images primarily consist of renderings. […]
Recently, the Iowa West Foundation’s Grants Team took a look at a piece of reporting that we know is a pain point for a number of our grantees. The process in question relates to the financial reporting we require as part of closing out a grant or requesting a disbursement from the Foundation. If you […]
Growing up, summers meant surviving 100 degree days, wishing for a swimming pool but making due with a sprinkler, riding bikes with the air rushing through my hair, running after ice cream trucks, and catching lightening bugs. My notion of carefree summers came to a screeching halt when my then kindergartener came home from her […]
(Council Bluffs, IA) The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved more than $5 million in grants and initiatives funding to 19 nonprofit organizations and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Among the recipients was the City of Council Bluffs, which received a $100,000 grant for the city’s newly unveiled “UN” image campaign, […]
New Arts Organization Launches in Pottawattamie County (Council Bluffs, IA) – The Board of Directors of a new arts organization is announcing the formation of their nonprofit, fittingly named Pottawattamie Arts, Culture & Entertainment or PACE. The mission of the newly formed 501(c)(3) is to strengthen, develop and promote art, cultural, and historical institutions, organizations, […]
The City Council voted at last Monday’s City Council Meeting to postpone the Fieldhouse/Hotel Project at the Mid-America Center so that they could receive additional public input. The developer of this project is an L.L.C. created by the Iowa West Foundation. Approximately five years ago, Iowa West hired two companies to conduct surveys of the […]
“With great power comes great responsibility.” This adage comes to mind because I was recently asked: “Isn’t your job just to give away money?” Well, yes and no. Yes, our primary “job,” is to award funding three times per year. But along with that comes the responsibility to be good stewards of our investments all […]
