Iowa West Foundation Grant

Iowa West Foundation Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Iowa West Foundation
Last Updated: March 21, 2026

Summary

The Iowa West Foundation Grant supports various community projects aimed at improving lives and strengthening communities in southwest Iowa. With an emphasis on creativity, collaboration, and inclusion, the foundation provides funding to 501(c)(3) public charities and government entities. Their open grants program aligns with community priorities identified through public input, ensuring that funding contributes to a vibrant and thriving environment for families and businesses alike.

Overview

NOTE: The Foundation has three grant cycles per year; however, we accept LOIs year-round. The date you submit will determine in which grant cycle your application will be considered (see deadlines above). ations that are incompatible with established policies and practices. If there aand screen out any applications that are incompatible with established policies and practices. If there are any areas of concern, a member of the Grants Team will call you to discuss. In fairness to others, we adhere strictly to an 11:59 p.m. deadline on the filing dates. LOIs and applications submitted after 11:59 p.m. on the deadline date will not be considered. When the deadline falls on a weekend/holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Our Vision Communities where families love to live and businesses thrive Our Mission The mission of the Iowa West Foundation is to improve lives and strengthen communities for current and future generations. We do this by: Catalyzing creativity and collaborationEmpowering partners for community successFostering leadership that reflects the communitySupporting people-focused outcomes The Iowa West Foundation is funded by investment income and through the Iowa West Racing Association (IWRA), which receives contracted fees paid by local casino operators — Ameristar and Harrah’s. The Foundation is an independent nonprofit recipient, as described in the 501(c)3 section of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation began its grant program in 1996, which awards funds for various community projects of governmental entities or nonprofit organizations. The Iowa West Foundation is headquartered in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Iowa West Foundation Grants The Iowa West Foundation strives for communities where families love to live, and businesses thrive. To accomplish this vision, the foundation uses a variety of tools, including an open grants program. The grants program supports priorities identified by our southwest Iowa residents. Through thousands of ideas shared in community Imagine Hour listening sessions, four core ideas defined a community vision of success. Together they form a picture of a vibrant, successful community. They are: Belonging – Everyone in the community experiences a deep sense of being included and appreciated. Financial stability – The community is rooted in meeting all residents’ basic needs and beyond. Opportunity – High quality opportunities are available to pursue personal achievement. Well-being – Individuals have the opportunity to thrive, not just survive. Types of Grants We Award Program Grants:Program Grants are a form of restricted support. They help a grantee implement a defined project or activity and are tied to specific, project-based outcomes. When considering a program grant application, Iowa West Foundation considers the likelihood that proposed activities will contribute to our four target outcomes. As our outcomes look to long-term community improvement, we tend not to fund projects/programs that are only focused on short-term impacts. If your organization is requesting more than one year of funding, you should provide a clear case as to how the longer commitment supports a stronger impact than a single year commitment would. Renewal of program grants requires your organization be in good standing. As a general practice, grantees who receive more than one renewal should be able to begin to shift from annual reporting to evaluating their data from a longitudinal perspectiveOperating Grants:Operating Grants are a form of unrestricted support. They fund a grantee’s overall activities, including administrative functions. Iowa West Foundation supports grantee operations when the overall work of the grantee during the period of support will demonstrate results in our target outcomes.  This suggests a strong alignment between the work of the applicant and the goals of the foundation. Typically, it is demonstrated through a combination of a clearly aligned workplan and a track-record of clear results.As a general practice, it is uncommon for Iowa West Foundation to award an operating grant to an organization without first developing a strong relationship through program grants.Operating grants are only available to organizations that own or lease a commercial office space in Pottawattamie County. As a general practice, we typically fund public/governmental entities through program or capital grants rather than general operating grants.Capital Grants:Capital Grants are restricted grants that support the infrastructure needs of an organization. Typically, this is through the acquisition, construction, or installation of facilities or equipment.  Applicants for capital grants should make the case as to why this project will help it fulfill its mission more effectively and align with the Foundation’s target outcomes.Competition is important to ensuring strong value in capital projects. Applicants should seek two or more quotes from vendors or contractors.For building improvements or construction, please note that it is a requirement that the applicant own the building or land being improved.As a general practice, Iowa West Foundation does not support deferred or general maintenance. As such, when supporting a capital grant, we try to understand how our applicants have planned for the continued maintenance, operation, and eventual replacement for what will be purchased through the grant.Launch Grants:Launch Grants are a type of grant that responds to a frequently heard need from our partner organizations. They are designed to support the creation of needed programs or organizations that are not provided by the existing system. Typically, these include organizations / programs that are in their formative phase. Because they are new, they often entail a higher amount of risk. Iowa West Foundation is only interested in supporting launch grants that are additive rather than duplicating existing services.Recognizing that it is unlikely that newer endeavors will show outcomes during the grant period, applicants will be asked to identify important milestones or deliverables that show strong management or progress toward their goal(s).Many of the requests we receive in this category are for a multi-year commitment to give time to establish the new organization / program. In these cases, renewal will be based on the organization being in good standing and showing the anticipated progress.As a general practice, a strong plan and/or understanding of need should precede a grant request. If no plan is in place, Iowa West Foundation may offer support to create a plan before considering the full request. Contingency Funding In addition to the four grants described above, the Iowa West Foundation maintains a Contingency Fund to support existing grantees and partners. We know our partners are tackling some of our communities’ most significant challenges. As a result, the risk of disruption due to circumstances out of our partners’ control is always possible. We want to be active in anticipating and resolving these issues. To do so, we have special funding that is set aside for managing risk. There is no application for the contingency fund. Instead, Iowa West Foundation deploys these funds proactively when we identify an opportunity to help overcome a barrier to our partners’ success. Typically, this is through: Capacity building:When possible, we seek to resolve areas of risk before they become problems. One way to do this is to ensure our partners have the skills and advice they need to be successful. Typically, capacity building opportunities arise from our due diligence and reporting conversations. Grant contingency support:When an unexpected obstacle arises, we can add additional funds to existing grants to help our partners overcome the challenge. These opportunities are most frequently identified through interim reports or when our partners proactively reach out to share their needs.Emergency funding:In the lifecycle of a nonprofit there can be moments of vulnerability. During these times, Iowa West Foundation may choose to infuse an organization with emergency operational funding to help weather a period of difficulty.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Iowa West Foundation funds two types of organizations:501(c)(3) Public CharitiesGovernment entitiesOur Iowa footprint includes 14 counties. Our primary funding area is in Pottawattamie County. We also serve communities located in Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Shelby, and Taylor counties. We also fund organizations in the Greater Omaha Metropolitan Area that benefit Iowa residents. This can be through the provision of direct services into Iowa or through the operation of regional amenities. We define regional amenities as facilities that can demonstrate an audience that includes Iowa residents, and which do not have equivalents in our Iowa giving area. Matching FundsIn order to create maximum benefit for our communities, Iowa West Foundation will not fund more than 50% of the eligible costs of proposed work. Projects that require a smaller percentage of Iowa West funding are viewed more favorably by our Grants Review Committee.Many of our nonprofit partners make use of in-kind contributions for their projects and programs. We see strong value in partnerships that support non-cash contributions and will consider in-kind contributions for up to 15% of the total eligible budget as a match to our funds. In-kind contributions may exceed this amount but will not be considered for match purposes.

Ineligibility

We do not fund individuals, private businesses, or 501(c)(3) private foundations.No grant application will be approved that is inconsistent with the charitable tax-exempt status of the Foundation.The Foundation will not accept proposals that: Activities that violate your nonprofit status: The IRS sets out in its code restrictions on what public charities can legally do and maintain their status. We adhere to these restrictions set by the IRS. Discrimination or intolerance: We promote equitable, inclusive communities and do not fund activities that would result in inappropriate discrimination against any individual or group. Fundraising events: We do not contribute to endowment campaigns nor support benefits or fundraising events, such as galas, golf tournaments, and school dinners. Medical / Healthcare: We do not fund the costs associated with medical care. This includes the operations or construction of medical facilities. It also includes grants that address circumstances arising from specific medical conditions. Past costs, debts, or expenses: We understand that occasionally work on a project must begin prior to our award announcement. However, when we review your proposal budget, we only consider as a match the costs / work you anticipate after we provide notification of an award. Please review our grants cycle timeline to understand which cycle bests matches the needs of your project. Public safety facilities/vehicles: Public safety facilities (police and fire stations) or public safety vehicles are not eligible. We organize our funding in support of public safety equipment through the Pottawattamie County Firefighters Association. For additional information on the equipment program, please contact our Grants Coordinator, Pam Bierce. Regranting programs: The Iowa West Foundation does not fund programs that sub-award our funding. Religious activities: Churches and religious organizations are an important part of our community. We support their secular activities, but religious activities are not eligible for our funding. As a result, churches and religious organizations are not eligible for operating grants, or capital grants that support facilities used for religious activities. Recently Declined Applications: You may not reapply for a program that was declined in the past 12 months. Schools & School District Eligibility: Individual schools are not eligible to apply for grant support, however we do partner with districts on transformational investments through our grants and initiatives.Transformational projects typically help a district to launch a new program/facility that will achieve a significant advance in specific learning outcomes.  Sponsorship: Publications, films, books, seminars, and conferences are not eligible as stand-alone projects. They may only be considered when they directly support eligible programs.