Black Hawk County Gaming Association Grants

The Black Hawk County Gaming Association (BHCGA) offers grants to enhance the Cedar Valley's community through projects that focus on capital improvements, capacity-building initiatives, and collaborative efforts among organizations. Eligible applicants must be governmental entities or nonprofits with valid 501(c)3 or 501(c)19 status. The BHCGA prioritizes projects in Black Hawk County but will consider requests from neighboring counties as well, ensuring that funds contribute to making the area a better place to live, work, and play.

Black Hawk County Gaming Association (BHCGA) is a Qualified Sponsoring Organization (QSO) that holds the license for the Isle Hotel and Casino in Waterloo. In plain English? We make amazing projects possible all across the Cedar Valley by allocating funds available from the Isle Hotel and Casino.
Funding Guidelines
The Black Hawk County Gaming Association (BHCGA) is interested in awarding grants that will make the Cedar Valley a stronger, better place to live, work, and play.
Our board prefers to receive requests for the following types of projects:
Capital Improvements: Enhance cities, neighborhoods, and inclusive speciesCapacity-Building Initiatives: Help organizations build stronger skills, processes, and resources to better serve the Cedar Valley communitiesCollaborative Efforts: Projects that involve multiple cities or organizations and/or align with broader community initiatives

Eligibility

Qualifications for Applicants:Applicants must be a governmental entity or nonprofit with a valid 501(c)3 or 501(c)19 status under the US IRS Code.State Requirements:As a Qualified Sponsored Organization (QSO), the BHCGA operates under the rules and regulations set forth by the IRGC. This often requires us to request additional documentation or information. Funding Criteria: Applicants must be located in one of the following counties: Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, or Grundy counties.However, our primary focus area is Black Hawk County, as it is home to the Isle Casino Waterloo.A maximum of 10% of our annual revenue may be allocated to the remaining three counties.However, our primary focus area is Black Hawk County, as it is home to the Isle Casino.

Ineligibility

Applicants are not allowed to share or borrow nonprofit status from another organization. Requests that will NOT be considered:Endowment fundsPolitical causes, candidates, or lobbying effortsIndividuals, including scholarships, fellowships, or personal benefitsReligious workshop, education, or proselytizingDebt incurred or purchases made prior to the award dateFunding requests of more than 50% of the total project budgetRequest for ongoing operational or programmatic