2022 Community Impact Grants address local needs
Nonprofits receive nearly $48,000 to address critical community issues
Five local nonprofits have received $47,500 in funding through the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque to enhance educational opportunities through music, address youth brain health gaps, support children and teens in foster care, and more.
The funding is supported by the Foundation’s Community Impact Grants program, which builds the capacity of local nonprofits to make an impact by supporting training, collaboration, programming and operations. The Community Impact Grants represent one of 19 grant programs facilitated by the Community Foundation across the seven-county region.
“Strong nonprofits help build strong communities, which is why grantmaking programs like this one are so important to our mission,” says Mary Jo Jean-Francois, director of impact at the Community Foundation. “By conducting research and building relationships with local nonprofits, we gain knowledge that helps us create a deeper understanding of what issues the community faces. With that knowledge, we can grant funds in a strategic way that empowers organizations to address those needs.”
Five organizations received Community Impact grants:
- Lincoln Elementary received $10,000 to use music, along with musical concepts and theories, in a purposeful way to enhance classroom education and support academic achievement.
- Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa (CSEI) received $10,000 to support a new part-time position focused on community education and outreach around issues of homelessness and housing instability. The new staff position will help build awareness of and ensure equitable access to services while strengthening coordination among partner agencies.
- Families Helping Families (FHF) received $10,000 to fund program expenses, services and resources for Dubuque County children and teens living in foster care.
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Dubuque received $10,000 to support the recruitment and training of new facilitators to increase the new center’s capacity for hosting brain health programs for veterans, children, young adults and families.
- Seva Health Services, based in Clayton County, received $7,500 to support “wrap-around” brain health services — between-visit support that helps people develop coping skills and build resilience.
Community Impact Grants are open to nonprofits serving Dubuque, Clayton and Clinton counties. After narrowing down the pool of applicants in August, finalists were invited the make pitches to the grant committee. Working with The Innovation Lab, the Foundation offered free one-on-one coaching to finalists to help them strengthen their pitches and build skills to support all of their grant-seeking efforts.
“Every request we received was for a worthy cause,” says Peter Supple, director of nonprofits for the Community Foundation. “This grant program is just one of the ways we can help address an array of community issues, and through a number of other Foundation offerings, we can help close the funding gap and deepen our impact.”
To learn more about the Community Impact Grants program, visit dbqfoundation.org/communityimpact.