Community foundation grant cycles now open

Grant applications can now be submitted to the following foundations for the 2025 grant cycle: Iowa County Community Foundation, Bremer County Community Foundation, Buchanan County Community Foundation, Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation, Emmet County Community Foundation and Winnebago County Community Foundation.

Submission deadline is 5 p.m. April 15.

Grants are awarded to projects within the program areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education and youth development, environment and animal welfare and health and human services.

The online grant application can be found at CFNEIA.org/Grants. Technical support will be available to applicants until 5 p.m. April 15. Grant recipients will be announced in June.

Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and government entities. Tax-exempt organizations classified as other than 501(c)(3) are also eligible if the project is deemed charitable. Contact Dotti Thompson at 319-243-1358 or dthompson@cfneia.org to discuss the project’s eligibility prior to submitting a proposal.

Grant selections are made in an effort to create a better quality of life for people in these counties. A local impact committee reviews the applications from charitable organizations serving their community.

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa affiliates are also seeking volunteers to serve on their impact committees beginning in July. The impact committee position description and volunteer interest form can be found at cfneia.org/volunteer.

Individuals may complete volunteer self-interest forms or nominate someone else, such as a colleague, community leader or friend. The deadline to submit a volunteer interest form for initial consideration is April 15.

The impact committees try to understand the needs of their counties to ensure alignment between those needs and Foundation grants. The primary function and responsibility of the committee is to invest in nonprofits through the discretionary grant process, which distributes over $100,000 annually in each county.

Questions about volunteering may be directed to Shanda Hansen, director of affiliate impact at the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, at shansen@cfneia.org or 319-243-1357.