(Council Bluffs) The Iowa West Foundation has awarded more than $4.6 million in grants and initiatives aimed at making Council Bluffs and surrounding communities more attractive places to live, work and raise families.
Foundation President and CEO Brenda Mainwaring said the funding is designed to build on the area’s existing strengths by supporting neighborhoods, expanding opportunities for community connections and promoting the region.
Major awards include a $500,000 Iowa West Foundation initiative focused on growing Council Bluffs, $150,000 to the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce for an economic growth initiative, $62,500 to Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs for neighborhood revitalization and $1,000 for each Pottawattamie County city to support local community events.
The foundation is accepting Letters of Inquiry for future grant cycles year-round, with submissions due by Sept. 1 to be considered for the next round of funding.
2026 Cycle 2 Grants & Initiatives
American Midwest Ballet
Operating funding
$100,000
Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement
Legal services in southwest Iowa
$115,000
Child Saving Institute
Campus improvements at Children’s Square
$500,000
City of Crescent
Community Hall renovation
$33,000
City of Imogene
North Bar/South Bank renovation
$50,000
Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation
CB Community & Economic Growth Initiative
$150,000
Council Bluffs Schools Foundation
STARS program
$320,000
CBCSD before & after school program for students with special needs
$15,000
Danish Mill Corporation
Fantail preservation
$5,000
Family Crisis Centers, Inc.
Iowa Victim Service Call Center
$8,500
Firefly
Early Head Start expansion
$210,000
Friends of the Griswold Library
Public library reorganization
$30,000
Food Bank of Iowa
Fighting childhood hunger in Adams, Audubon, Carroll & Taylor Counties
$30,000
Food Bank for the Heartland
Southwest Iowa mobile pantry program
$37,200
Green Hills Area Education Agency
Preschool in Pottawattamie County
$1,350,000
Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs
Neighborhood revitalization
$62,500
Iowa Legal Aid
School-based attorney services for eligible CBCSD families
$225,000
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
“School of the Wild” expansion in western Iowa
$33,045
Iowa West Foundation Initiative
Growing CB
$500,000
Iowa Western Community College Foundation
Iowa Western Arts Center National Performance, Youth, and Comedy Series
$32,000
Skills for Success
$35,000
Lauritzen Gardens
School field trips and summer camps for southwest Iowa students
$25,000
Luminarium
School field trips and reduced cost visits/memberships for southwest Iowa families
$25,000
National Alliance on Mental Illness – Southwest Iowa
Operating funding
$25,000
Nebraska Diaper Bank
Diapers for southwest Iowa families
$10,000
Nebraska Philanthropic Trust
Regional First Responder Education & Training Center
$500,000
Omaha Symphony
Music education programs in southwest Iowa
$23,000
Rose Theater
Creative Heroes program for Council Bluffs students
$23,650
Field trips for southwest Iowa students
$9,808
Together, Inc.
Counseling for housing stability
$55,000
University of Nebraska Foundation – Samuel Bak Museum
Field trips for southwest Iowa students
$24,790
Various Community Housing Organization Serving Council Bluffs
Iowa Housing Summit Scholarships
$15,800
Rural Fire Departments
For Gear & Equipment
Carson Volunteer Fire Dept.
$10,000
Macedonia Fireman’s Association
$10,000
Missouri Valley Volunteer Fire Dept.
$4,000
Treynor Fire & Rescue Association
$10,000
Underwood Volunteer Fire & Rescue
$9,835
Walnut Volunteer Fire Dept.
$9,362
