(Pottawattamie Co) Brenda Mainwaring, President & CEO of Iowa West Foundation, updated the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors this (Tuesday) morning on the grant award cycle 2.
Mainwaring said for the second year the Iowa West Foundation committed nearly one million dollars to local school districts and education partners as part of its ASPIRE investments.
Mainwaring said another focus is food insecurity.
Partnerships with local casinos Ameristar, Harrah’s, and Horseshoe make it possible for the Iowa West Foundation to continuously award outcome-focused grants in southwest Iowa communities. Fees from gaming and income from Foundation investments provide funding for programs and projects that benefit the residents of 14 counties in southwest Iowa.
The Iowa West Foundation has a two-step grants process, with Letters of Inquiry (LOI) accepted year-round. LOIs received by September 1 will be considered in the next cycle with final applications due by Sept. 15th. All applicants will need to create a Giving Data account to access the LOI and application unless they have already done so. A grant application workshop will be held on July 31st in Harlan. For more information, visit www.iowawestfoundation.org.
2024 Cycle 2 Grants and Initiatives
ASPIRE
AHSTW
$25,000
Avenue Scholars
$215,000
Council Bluffs Community School District
$325,000
Iowa Western Community College
$69,500
Lewis Central
$100,000
Riverside
$25,000
STARS Scholarships
$350,000
Treynor
$25,000
Tri-Center
$25,000
American Midwest Ballet
Operating funding
$125,000
City of Carroll
Historic Band Shell in Graham Park
$7,500
City of Council Bluffs
FIRST AVE mural program
$77,500
City of Glenwood
Welcome sign
$15,000
Family Crisis Centers, Inc.
24/7 Iowa Victim Service Call Center in IWF funding area
$8,500
Food Bank of the Heartland
Support for mobile pantries
$30,000
Food Bank of Iowa
Support for school-based pantries, weekend backpack programs, and mobile pantries
$30,000
Heartland Family Service
Capital funding for the therapeutic education center in Council Bluffs
$365,000
Immigrant Legal Center
Legal services in SWI
$85,000
IWCC Arts Center
Support for the 2024-2025 season, which includes National Performance Series and Youth Series
$34,000
Metro Revamp Collective
Risk mitigation for property owners who rent to tenants at risk of being unhoused
$30,000
Micah House
Shelter and support services
$80,000
National Alliance on Mental Illness -SWI
Peer-led mental health support, outreach, and services
$35,000
Nature Conservancy of Iowa
Protect and provide public access to 472 acres of Loess Hills prairie habitat near Council Bluffs
$500,000
Nebraska Diaper Bank
Diapers for children in need in Pottawattamie County
$10,000
Kiewit Luminarium
Luminator internship program & STEM enrichment in SWI
$50,000
Omaha Symphony Association
Music education programs in SWI
$21,000
Opera Omaha
Education programs in SWI
$15,000
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Healthy relationships workshops in Council Bluffs schools
$10,000
Silver City Ambulance Service
Cardiac Monitor Defibrillator
$4,000
Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund
Housing repair
$125,000
The 712 Initiative
Operating funding
$125,000
The Rose Theater
Field trips for 17 SWI schools, in-school programs at two Council Bluffs schools
$12,977
The Wellbeing Partners
WhatMakesUs campaign
$5,000
Together Inc.
Council Bluffs Pantry operating expenses
$200,000
Union Pacific Museum Association
Railroad Days 2024
$23,000
University of Nebraska Foundation – Samuel Bak Museum
Field trips for Council Bluffs students
$15,470
Women of Color
Iowa West Foundation initiative
$50,000
