Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Iowa West Foundation reports $2.7 million in grants for housing, workforce and community programs
Summary
Iowa West Foundation president Brenda Mainwearing told supervisors the foundation awarded $2.7 million this grant cycle, including $850,000 to a high‑school workforce program (Aspire) and $200,000 to a local arts organization (PACE); two additional awards were not yet announced.
Brenda Mainwearing, president and chief executive officer of the Iowa West Foundation, briefed the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors on the foundation's latest grant cycle and fielded questions about program priorities and local revenue trends.
Mainwearing said the foundation awarded $2.7 million this cycle and that two additional grants remained under wraps as foundation staff worked with recipients to coordinate public announcements. She said the awards prioritized housing, financial stability and workforce training.
"We distributed $850,000 towards what we refer to as Aspire, which is our workforce training in the high schools," Mainwearing said, adding that awards under the Aspire umbrella support Career Advantage and programs across multiple rural high schools. She noted that each participating district tailors training opportunities and that the foundation also funded summit scholarships and cultural programming.
Board members asked about the foundation's financials and regional casino revenues. Mainwearing said local casino tax revenue was down about 10% from the previous year and that, when compared with broader statewide shifts, Pottawattamie County has experienced a larger relative decline; she noted the state had earlier projected a much larger loss when neighboring competition opened.
The briefing closed with board members thanking the foundation for its investments and for supporting local workforce pipelines and community nonprofits. No board action was required.
