Brett Irlmeier, Chair of the Audubon County Community Foundation, and Nicholas Hunt, Chair of the Cass County Community Foundation, remind residents in their respective counties that the fall grant program is now beginning. The deadline to apply for funds through a grant application process is September 1st. In Audubon County, $39, 770 has been allocated for the fall grant cycle. In Cass County, $27,500 is available.

Of the $39,770 in Audubon County, nearly $2,500 is available from the Leon and Iva Milliman Endowed Fund, for the Exira area. $2,800 is available from the Charles T. and Kathleen K. Manatt Endowed Fund, $690 from the Audubon State Bank/Stephen Garst Endowed Fund, $1,200 from the Audubon Masonic Association Endowed Fund is available for the City of Audubon area, $490 is available for the City of Audubon from the Fred and Evelyn Nissen Endowed Fund for Audubon, and $490 from the Merle and Norma Petersen Endowed Fund for the City of Audubon.

In Cass County, the grant fund is available in-part, thanks to $3,000  from the Griswold Community Development Endowed Fund, and $500 from the Triumph Endowed Fund for Cass County.

In both counties, the grants and program Mission is to participate in funding community betterment projects and nonprofit organizations that have similar objectives. The Goal of both the Audubon County and Cass County Community Foundations grant program, is to improve the quality of life in the county by supporting needs that are not being met in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education and social service. The objective is to fund projects that will have a permanent impact for our county that people can take advantage of for many years.

Only organizations providing services in Audubon County and Cass County are eligible to share the grant funds in each respective county. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support and supply a copy of their 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter. Requests for general operational funds will not be considered. Application procedures and grant guidelines can be obtained online at www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/auduboncef, for Audubon County non-profits, and at www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/casscef, for Cass County non-profit organizations.

Click on the Grant Information tab or contact any board member for additional information. Detailed instructions are provided in a downloadable form, as well as a link to the online application. Only online applications will be considered. The grant funds are made possible by the generosity of  Audubon and Cass County Community Foundation donors.

To inquire about donating to the ACCF, please contact a Board member. Community Foundations in Southwest Iowa are particularly attractive charities because donations to these funds may be eligible for a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit. Contact Dennis Nissen at 800-794-3458 or dennis@omahafoundation.org or Denise Cardos at denise@omahafoundation.org with grant application specific questions. All completed applications will be considered at the October board meeting with notification of results the end of October.

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Board members of the Audubon County Community Foundation are Chair, Brett Irlmeier of Audubon, 563-2644; Vice Chair, Jonnie Meislahn of Audubon, 563-2009; Secretary/Treasurer, Thomas R. Nielsen of Audubon, 563-2721; Jay Nelson of Atlantic, 549-2277; Daryl Olsen, DVM of Audubon, 563-2080; and Joseph T. Rasmussen, Esq. of Exira, 268-5357.

Board members of the Cass County Community Foundation are Chair, Nicholas Hunt of rural Atlantic, 243-5485; Vice Chair, Gary Maas, of Anita, 762-3434; Secretary/Treasurer, Roland K. Landsness, Esq. of Atlantic, 243-4154; Royal Bierbaum of rural Griswold, 778-2586; Beulah Follmann of Massena, 779-3457; and Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic, 243-1800.