21 Clayton County nonprofits receive nearly $30,000 in grants

CLAYTON COUNTY, Iowa – Twenty-one local nonprofits addressing needs like child care, park improvements, youth programs and community engagement received a total of $28,880 in grants from the Clayton County Foundation for the Future (CCFF) and supporting donors during a May 19 ceremony at the Guttenberg Golf Club. 

“Our grants improve lives across all communities in Clayton County,” says Emily Sadewasser, the Foundation’s executive director. “They empower communities, nonprofits and individuals to tackle the most pressing challenges and promising opportunities in our county today.”

“Thanks to the Small-town Dreams campaign to grow our Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow Endowment, we doubled our maximum grant award from $1,000 to $2,000 this year,” says CCFF advisory board chair Kathy Mueller. “Our grant cycle is a special time each year not only because we get to make awards, but because we get to learn about and lift up the visions and innovative plans of nonprofits working every day to fulfill their missions, which ultimately leads to a stronger community that benefits us all.”

In this year’s grant cycle, the CCFF Advisory Board prioritized funding projects that have a health and human services focus, or impact social determinants of health.

This year’s grant recipients are: 

• City of Monona, which will use its grant to pave the main trail of the Butterfly Gardens.
• City of Volga, which will use its grant for park infrastructure improvements.
• Clayton County Energy District, which will use its grant to support Energy Efficiency Demonstration Day.
• Clayton County Pioneer Cemetery Commission, which will use its grant for preservation and restoration work at Boardman Cemetery.
• Dubuque Visiting Nurse Association, which will use its grant for lead testing supplies.
• Elkader Community Childcare and Learning Center, which will use its grant for classroom updates to maintain a safe learning environment for children. 
• Elkader Depot Museum, which will use its grant to restore the HO model railroad exhibit.
• Family's Helping Hand, which will use its grant to support infant and toddler needs, including car seats, formula, and bottles.
• Friends of the Marquette Driftless Area, which will use its grant for youth programs at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre.
• Friends of the Volga Public Library, which will use its grant for the outdoor Story Walk.
• Garnavillo Community Daycare, which will use its grant to support summer curricula.
• McGregor-Marquette Center for the Arts, which will use its grant for its children’s art programs.
• Motor Mill Foundation of Clayton County, which will use its grant for a bike repair station at Motor Mill’s pedal-paddle rack location.
• Guttenberg Chamber of Commerce, which will use its grant to launch a Community Heart & Soul® program.
• Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, which will use its grant to serve nutritious meals for senior citizens. 
• Northeast Iowa Vietnam Veterans Association, which will use its grant for a multi-exhibit memorial park in Giard.
• Northeast Iowa Wellness & Recreation Center, which will use its grant for fall prevention and healthy aging programs and mobility training equipment.
• Postville Farmers Market, which will use its grant for the mini-Taste of Postville event.
• Rise Ltd, which will use its grant to purchase tools that support everyday independence through Elkader day habilitation services.
• Riverview Center, which will use its grant for a Clayton County crisis response toolkit.
• Strawberry Point Community Heart & Soul®, which will use its grant to launch its Community Heart & Soul program.

This year’s grants were supported by payouts from the Andrea Bockenstedt Live Your Life Endowment, Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow Endowment, Leroy and Colleen Darby Family Endowed Donor-Advised Fund, the James L. Moritz Endowment for Clayton County Vision for Tomorrow, the Watson-Rugland Family Endowment for Clayton County, and the Dan Barton Family Endowment.

Donors who give to endowments may benefit from the Endow Iowa 25% State Tax Credit in addition to federal charitable income tax deductions. For more information about giving to support local needs, contact Emily Sadewasser at 563-880-6044 or ccff@dbqfoundation.org.

To learn more about how you can make an impact on your Clayton County community, visit dbqfoundation.org/ccff.