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Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow Endowment

At a Glance
- Supporting the most important community needs and projects
- Promoting strong, vibrant communities and improving local quality of life - forever
- Partnered with donors to award over $20,000 in grants to 21 nonprofits in 2024
About Us
Clayton County Foundation for the Future was created to inspire giving and build stronger communities in Clayton County. We act as a bridge connecting important community needs and resources. CCFF works with donors, nonprofits, and community partners to improve quality of life for the 17,000+ residents of Clayton County and ensure a strong future for our area.
The Clayton County Foundation for the Future forges partnerships across the community and transforms generosity and insights into actions that improve our county for everyone.
In addition to our current initiatives focusing on brain health, early literacy with the Clayton County Imagination Library, and a study on child care, the CCFF Board awards grants annually to nonprofits that provide essential services and enrich our communities.

Mission
Empower communities and ignite generosity.
Basic Information
Phone
563.880.6044Address
700 Locust St. Ste. 195 Dubuque, Iowa 52001Director
Emily Sadewasser
Director Email
ccff@dbqfoundation.orgSuccess Story

After twenty years of building stronger communities, we’re celebrating our history of impact to inspire generosity for a brighter tomorrow in Clayton County. Momentum around our initiatives and increasing needs expressed by local nonprofits are a signal that we must now grow our endowment to address challenges today and plan for tomorrow.
We are excited to have been approved for a Small-town Dreams Initiative Challenge Grant through the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. When our goals are met, we will have raised $450,000 for the Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow Endowment, leading to an additional $20,000+ available annually to serve Clayton County.
Our leadership team, made up of current and former Foundation board members, will make funding decisions through our competitive grant cycle to projects that promote strong, vibrant communities and improve local quality of life.
The “quiet phase” of the initiative began early this year and has been completed. The leadership team challenged local leaders to raise $150,000, which unlocks an additional $75,000 in matching funds. In the second “community phase,” which is in progress, businesses, organizations and families will be challenged to match the first phase’s $225,000 and reach the $450,000 goal.
Furthermore, as the campaign reaches its fundraising milestones, it will earn $25,000 in cash that can be granted out to spark projects that would not otherwise be possible. The Foundation has elected to use the $15,000 cash from the phase one milestone to support the Clayton County Imagination Library as well as area nonprofit child care providers.
“Through our recent countywide child care assessment, we learned of many challenges and opportunities to support providers,” says Emily Sadewasser, the Foundation’s executive director. “We are excited to be able to provide immediate funding to support their important work.”
The Foundation awarded eight $1,500 grants to day care centers across the county, including:
Elkader Child Care and Learning Center to purchase training credits for staff members to attain the Child Development Associate (CDA) certification.
Kinderwood Child Care Center for a new playground.
Postville Child Care Services to fund Iowa Quality For Kids training for staff.
Kids Kampus to support an expanded outdoor reading/educational area, including raised flower beds, outdoor seating and gardening material.
Garnavillo Community Day Care Center for phase 2 of its building update, which will provide more classroom and play space.
Little Bulldog Childcare to fund recruitment and retention bonuses and staff training.
Dr. Clifford C. Smith Childcare to fund recruitment and retention bonuses.
Berry Tender Childcare to support a renovation project, which includes improvements to its 2-year-old, 3- to 4-year-old, and school age rooms.
With your help, we can capture a $100,000 challenge grant to build the Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow Endowment to support the most important needs in our community.
Fund Details
Fund Name
Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow Endowment
Year Founded
2004
Type of Fund
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Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow Endowment