(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved $5.1 million in grants and initiatives to nearly 30 nonprofits in the region. Approximately $2.4 million went to nonprofits with missions centered on healthy families, education, and arts enrichment for youth in southwest Iowa, in the form of multi-year funding for operating costs.

IWF President & CEO Brenda Mainwaring says “The multi-year funding program has provided more than $10 million to nonprofits who serve Iowa residents. “It’s difficult for nonprofits to secure funds for operating expenses. We decided to address that gap in the funding stream. Our multi-year funding program is designed for long-standing nonprofit partners and allows them to focus less on fundraising and more on their missions for the community.”

For this cycle, the rural communities of Audubon, Griswold, Harlan, Treynor, and Woodbine received funding for placemaking projects in their communities, including recreation amenities, infrastructure upgrades, and fire safety. Treynor resident Wendy Andersen is “extremely grateful” for the $50,000 grant for a project that will include an inclusive playground, splash pad, and memorial trailhead in her community.

Listed below, are just some, of the 2022 Cycle 1 Grants and Initiatives:

• Audubon Recreation Foundation: Recreation center expansion, $75,000.
• City of Griswold: Main Street revitalization, $40,000.
• Iowa Western Community College Foundation (Multi-year funding) – Arts Center, $30,000.
• Iowa Western Community College: Pottawattamie Promise, $542,443.
• Pottawattamie Arts, Culture & Entertainment (PACE) – Multi-year funding: $200,000.
• Pottawattamie County CITIES Program – Carson, $24,000.
• Pottawattamie County CITIES Program – Neola, $100,000.
• Shelby County Fair Corporation – Fairground Improvements, $25,000
• Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund – Housing repair, $100,000.
• Treynor State Bank Community Foundation: The T – recreation center, $50,000.
• Woodbine Fire & Rescue: Extrication Gear for EMS, $1,638.

The Iowa West Foundation now accepts Letters of Inquiry (the first step in the grant application process) year-round with deadlines of Jan. 1, May. 1 and Sept. 1 prior to each of the three grants cycles. For more information on recent changes to the application process, a virtual grants workshop will be held on Thursday, April 21. Details and registration can be found at: www.iowawestfoundation.org.