Community Heart & Soul® process feeds successful application for state grant funding

When the Energize Clinton team launched its Community Heart & Soul® process, the members knew challenges lay ahead. The team connected with over 1,200 residents through surveys and meetings to understand what they care about, and a new narrative for Clinton emerged. Now, the community is building on that narrative to bring in funding that will secure a strong future for Clinton.
“Previously, people’s feelings about their hometown fluctuated,” says Alethea Cahoy, executive director of the River Bluff Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque: Either they took a negative attitude toward its trajectory or engaged in boosterism while ignoring real challenges.
The Heart & Soul process, facilitated by Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque staff, helped people connect over their shared passion for Clinton while also identifying six values statements, including revitalization, beautification, and development to enhance the community.
Values lead to funding
As is often the case in Heart & Soul communities, the findings soon led to a new funding source for an incredible project in alignment with the revitalization goal. Matthew Parbs, a local leader who wears various hats in many cultural groups, found just what he needed in the Energize Clinton data to create a strong application for the Iowa Arts Council’s Creative Places Accelerator – and ultimately to be designated a Creative Places Accelerator community.
The application narrative used Energize Clinton’s values statements to show that 1,200 people provided honest feedback about important aspects of the community, and that this project was exactly what community members were looking for.
Community identity through art
“The key to meaningful placemaking is that the projects reflect what makes a community unique but also reflect what the community has deemed important to them,” says Parbs. “We’re building a framework to create a cultural identity for the community, and if possible, a monetary framework to allow artists to create public works of art that can be enjoyed by everyone who lives here and visits.”
Parbs is particularly excited that the project brings together a cross sector of residents regularly to discuss art projects and placemaking. “That alone is of immense value,” he says. “We also get to attend workshops to learn from mentors and peers, and showcase Clinton to the state and partners. It’s something the whole community should take great pride in.”
Parbs calls the Heart & Soul statements the “atlas we always keep in the car. We know what our community wants.”
And for community leaders, that knowledge lights the path to progress.
The River Bluff Community Foundation offers many opportunities to improve quality of life by addressing an array of local issues. To learn more about how you can establish a fund or make a gift that impacts your community, contact Cahoy at 563-321-0317.
Photo above is from the 2023 Paint it Back Festival in Clinton.