(Council Bluffs) After a thorough evaluation process, the Community Foundation for Western Iowa and its Impact Grants Committee – a group of county residents and board members – are pleased to announce this year’s grant award recipients.
The Community Foundation elected to award 37 Community Impact Grants totaling $66,876 to nonprofit and city organizations throughout Pottawattamie County.
The Community Foundation received 71 grant proposals totaling $290,064.00 in project requests, with total project budgets combined reaching nearly $13 Million dollars, signifying the incredible work that is being done in the cities throughout Pottawattamie County.
Individual grant awards for this year’s funding cycle ranged from $500 to $5,000 to benefit innovative and meaningful projects that align with the Foundation’s mission to improve the lives of all county residents. Annually, Community Impact Grants funding is eligible to any tax-exempt, nonprofit organization or governmental entity for creative or impactful projects that meet a clear, identifiable need in Pottawattamie County. Grants are allocated to projects in a variety of focus areas, such as: Arts & Culture, Community Betterment, Community Engagement, Education, Environment, Health, Human Services, and Youth.
The majority of the Community Foundation’s grant making is directed by donors who have funds created to purposefully impact charities located within our community and throughout Western Iowa. Dostal added that individuals and businesses can create their own fund through the Community Foundation to “give back” and contributions can receive major tax benefits. New endowment funds and future contributions, if applicable, can receive an additional 10% contribution from the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, and an Endow Iowa tax credit of 25% may also be available. In 2023, investors at the Community Foundation awarded 320 grants totaling a formidable $5.4 million dollars to a variety of nonprofit organizations. For information on creating a fund, please call 712-256-7007 or visit www.givewesterniowa.org for details. The Community Foundation for Western Iowa is nationally accredited by the Council on Foundations (www.cfstandards.org).
