Uplift Grants - Trees for Waterloo

The Uplift Grants program by the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa offers one-year discretionary grants aimed at enhancing life in Black Hawk County. With a minimum request of $5,000 and a maximum of $18,236 for projects focused on beautifying Waterloo's downtown and residential areas, these grants support nonprofits and government entities in fostering community well-being. The initiative aligns with the foundation's mission to create positive community change and improve the quality of life for local residents.

Community Foundation of Northwest Iowa
The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa is a place of connection where generosity and community action meet to create powerful impacts improving the quality of life for all people.
We connect inspired people to causes they care about most, make grants to strengthen effective nonprofits, and provide leadership on key community issues to make Iowa communities better places. Today, CFNEIA works in 20 Iowa counties to meet local needs and fulfill a vision of creating a vibrant region of thriving people.
The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa is accredited with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®—the highest standards for philanthropic excellence.
The Community Foundation provides eligible agencies with one-year discretionary grants on a competitive basis to improve life for residents of Black Hawk County, Iowa. Uplift Grant requests can be for operations, programming, materials, equipment, and capital projects.
Grant Amount
Grant proposal requests must be a minimum of $5,000.   Maximum request amount for Trees for Waterloo is $18,236.
Funding Preferences and Priorities
Trees for Waterloo: To support projects that support the beautification of the Waterloo downtown and residential areas, primarily to be used for street tree planting. Supported by the Dick H. and Immy Young Family Fund and the Young-Magrid Fund.

Eligibility

Organizations must provide benefits to the people of Black Hawk County and must meet the following criteria in order to apply for a grant: Be classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or be a government entity. Tax-exempt organizations classified as other than 501(c)(3) are also eligible if and only if the project is deemed charitable; please contact our office to discuss the project’s eligibility prior to submitting a proposal.
Be current with all state and federal reporting requirements.For groups, projects, or initiatives that do not meet the above eligibility requirements, the Community Foundation will consider projects submitted through a fiscal sponsor. Fiscal sponsors must be classified as a 501(c)(3) or a government entity.In addition to the eligibility requirements, the following restrictions also apply:

• Requests should be for one year only.
• Requests should be a minimum of $5,000.
• Applicants are limited to one application.
• Applicants may also submit up to one additional proposal as a fiscal sponsor.

Organizations with a separate supporting, eligible organization (like a “friends of” or a foundation) can apply through either the organization or through its supporting organization, but not both. The Foundation encourages applications to be submitted through the supporting organization.

Ineligibility

Organizations must not have any past due grant reports for previous CFNEIA grants.Inherently religious activities such as religious worship, instruction, or proselytization or activities that promote specific religious doctrine are not eligible.Requests for partisan political or lobbying activities are not eligible. Operational requests from other foundations are not eligible.Late, incomplete, or hard copy applications will not be considered.Incomplete applications are those that are in DRAFT mode at the time of the application deadline.The Foundation will not support requests for funds that are re-granted or redistributed by the applicant.