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$4.5-million in grants award to 18 area non-profit groups

News

October 17th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Council Bluffs-based Iowa West Foundation have announced they are distributing nearly $4.5 million in grants for the third quarter of 2014. The grants will be used to assist 18 non-profit organizations and governmental entities with funding for area projects. Among the grant recipients, was the Griswold Public Library, which is receiving $1,500 toward technology improvements.

Here is the complete list of grant recipients:

  • Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Council Bluffs Latino capacity building/leadership program, $25,000.
  • Children’s Square U.S.A., Phase II of Kanesville-Tinley Neighborhood Initiative in Council Bluffs, $158,085.
  • City of Dedham, baseball field improvements and playground construction, $10,000.
  • Council Bluffs Public School District, Iowa West Foundation initiative for School Administrative Managers and summer school programing, $2,957,218.
  • Community Education Foundation, grants for improved educational opportunities in Council Bluffs classrooms, $33,500.
  • Council Bluffs Senior Center Inc., locker room renovation and equipment upgrades, $150,000.
  • Credit Advisors Foundation, financial management counseling for residents in the Council Bluffs region, $10,000.
  • Downtown Omaha Inc. Foundation, 2014 Holiday Lights Festival, $15,000.
  • Griswold Public Library, technology improvements for patrons of Griswold library, $1,500.
  • Heartland Family Service, “Iowa Family Works” residential substance abuse treatment, $175,000.
  • Iowa West Foundation, update of Council Bluffs entryway towers on West Broadway to LED lighting, $671,492.
  • Iowa Western Community College Foundation, programming at the Arts Center in Council Bluffs, $30,000.
  • Justice For Our Neighbors-Nebraska, expansion of legal services into southwest Iowa, $60,681.
  • Lewis Central Community School District With Heartland Family Service, an Iowa West Foundation Initiative for a mental health program, $150,943.
  • Live Well Council Bluffs, CURB: “Creating Ultimate Residential Beautification,” $60,000.
  • Manning Betterment Foundation, Manning child care center renovation, $12,500.
  • Opera Omaha, for season production of Rigolett, A Flowering Tree, and Fidelio, $30,000.
  • Pottawattamie County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Network, general operating support, $30,000.

Funding for the foundation’s grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contracted license fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. IWRA distributes funds to the Iowa West Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) organization under the IRS Code. The foundation makes grants throughout southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

For more information including deadlines, interested organizations may visit the foundation’s website at www.iowawestfoundation.org or contact Deb Debbaut, director, grants administration, at 712-309-3003. Guidelines and procedures can be viewed on the website, and applicants can apply online.