The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved more than $4 million in grants and initiatives funding to 22 nonprofit organizations and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

The Council Bluffs Community School District received $404,000 in initiative funding to continue implementing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle School Program at both Kirn and Wilson Middle Schools. CBCSD also received $100,000 to continue the implementation of BLink – Council Bluff’s free Wi-Fi – across the city.

Additionally, Tri-Center Schools received $50,000 to launch their preschool program for 3-year-olds and start a before- and after-care program for students in the district. AHSTW Community Schools received an $85,492 grant to purchase equipment in support of their career and technical education programming.

The Iowa West Board also approved Phase 1 funding totaling $1,700,000 for the West Broadway Reconstruction project. Pottawattamie County received $222,500 for the implementation of a rural recycling center to be located just north of Oakland. The centralized location will offer recycling to rural Pottawattamie County residents for the first time, and allow for the sale of items that can be repurposed, such as construction material and paint, items that previously were deemed waste.

In addition, the Foundation awarded nearly $50,000 to five Pottawattamie County fire departments as part of its ongoing commitment to rural southwest Iowa communities. The Avoca, Neola and Treynor Volunteer Fire Departments and the Macedonia Fire and Rescue each received $10,000 and the Minden Fire and Rescue Department received $9,752, all for equipment upgrades.

The Iowa West Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the Midwest. It has distributed more than $400 million to nonprofits and governmental agencies through southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska since the inception of its grant program. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. IWRA is the license sponsor for Ameristar and Harrah’s and the license holder for Horseshoe-Bluffs Run. The Foundation targets resources into programs and projects that focus on economic development, education, placemaking and healthy families. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.iowawestfoundation.org.

Grants and Initiatives:

• Avoca Hancock Shelby Tennant Walnut (AHSTW) Community Schools – Career & Technical Education Equipment, $85,492
• City of Council Bluffs – Sternhill Park – Art in the Park, $54,500; West Broadway Beautification/Phase 1 $1,700,000
• City of Shelby – Sewer System Improvement $150,000
• Council Bluffs Community School District – Blink IV City Wi-Fi network $100,000;Middle Schools’ International Baccalaureate Program, Year 2 $404,000.
• Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs – Neighborhood Network $70,000
• Pottawattamie Arts Culture & Entertainment (PACE) – Arts and Culture Center, $408,195.
• Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors – Rural Recycling Center, $222,500
• Red Oak Grand Theatre, Inc. – Phase II – Theatre Addition, $90,000
• Tri-Center Community School District – Preschool/Before & After School Programming, $50,000
• Fire Departments:
• Avoca Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000
• Macedonia Fire & Rescue – $10,000
• Minden Volunteer Fire & Rescue – $9,752
• Neola Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000
• Treynor Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000