Grants Awarded

24/7 Black Leadership Advancement Consortium (24/7 BLAC) is dedicated to creating equity in the areas of entrepreneurship and homeownership, empowering individuals through education, mentorship, and resources to build successful businesses and achieve economic stability. Their programs include a small business accelerator, workshops on financial literacy, and partnerships with local organizations to provide support for aspiring business owners and potential homeowners. This award offers operational support to sustain and expand their initiatives.

The mission of the Boys and Girls Club of the Cedar Valley is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those with highest need, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. BGCCV club members receive not only educational enrichment, but a variety of programming that enhances wellbeing including a warm meal, sports programing, field trips, free access to technology, and much more. This award offers operational support to sustain these vital programs.

This award helps the Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens in supporting caregivers through their nature/garden setting. Partnering with Cedar Valley Hospice, they will address mental health by offering meeting space for presentations and caregiver or grief support sessions facilitated by hospice grief counselors & support group facilitators. The Arboretum hopes to expand their impact through therapeutic horticulture programming and partnering with additional organizations in the future.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque has been a vital social service organization for 91 years, with a focus on ensuring every person has a safe home and access to economic security. In the Cedar Valley, Catholic Charities provides affordable immigration legal services to help reunite families and guide immigrants towards self-sufficiency, regardless of their legal status. This award offers operational support to further advocacy, education, and legal aid for immigrants in our community.

This award supports the Iowa Victim Service Call Center through Family Crisis Centers, Inc. With over 4000 calls from Black Hawk County each year, the Call Center provides 24/7 support to Iowa's violent crime victims through advocacy, counseling, and collaboration with agencies, enhancing victim assistance statewide. Additionally, they provide rollover call center services and referrals to local agencies like Friends of the Family and Amani Community Services.

Friends of the Family strives to address and end homelessness in the community through housing-focused services. Their goal is to ensure quick access to permanent housing and provide case management services designed to support long-term housing stability. This award offers operational support.

Inclusion Connection advocates with people who have diverse abilities to promote inclusive communities that live, learn, work, and play together. Through their employment services, Inclusion Connection supports approximately 100 individuals each year to gain employment, successfully complete training, and retain a job long-term with competitive pay.

Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) assists students facing multiple barriers to create a path toward high school graduation and the transition to continued education and careers. Through counseling, mentoring, tutoring, career exploration and post-secondary planning, iJAG offers tools for students’ future success. This award provides operational support as iJAG offers programming at five Waterloo Community Schools.

The Jesse Cosby Center’s purpose is to provide community-based services for individuals and families that are in need and resources to those who are in crisis. They seek to eliminate barriers to self-sufficiency by offering services like utility assistance, classes and social activities through their Senior Center, and food assistance and fresh produce from the Community Garden. This award offers operational support to maintain and further expand services.

Funding was awarded to support the Larrabee Center’s small group employment support program, Trinkets and Togs. Trinkets & Togs Thrift Store provides paid work experience to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities in order to gain employment skills with the support of a job coach.

Love INC of the Cedar Valley strives to meet growing gaps in the community by assisting with basic needs like transportation, utilities assistance, and access to health care through networking the services and resources of 43 church & other non-profit organizations. This award will be used for dental health support in partnership with Hawkeye Community College, mattress purchases, water bill assistance, and administrative costs.

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank envisions a community in which hunger is alleviated and all persons have adequate access to nutritious food. Through services that include education, food pantries, and feeding sites, the NEIFB is making an impact on food insecurity, serving 8.4 million meals in the past year alone. This award offers operational support to help meet the needs in Black Hawk county.

Reach out and Read, Inc. strengthens nurturing early childhood relationships through reading. Partnering with MercyOne Waterloo Pediatrics Care; MercyOne Family Medicine Residency, Waterloo; and Peoples Community Health Clinic, Reach Out and Read provides books and instruction during wellness visits to encourage early literacy and relational health.

RIYO, a grassroots refugee and immigrant-led youth organization, addresses the unique challenges faced by newcomer communities. Through youth-driven, culturally-specific programs, RIYO empowers young people with the tools and support to overcome obstacles, reach their potential, and become community leaders. This award offers operational support so that RIYO continues to offer safe, encouraging spaces for youth to find connection, courage, and hope for the future.

SparkWheel seeks to remove barriers for students and provide tools and resources to thrive. Student Support Coordinators (SSCs) with SparkWheel address school-level risk factors such as student engagement, academics, and attendance. This award will support their work in serving 920 students attending Central Middle School and Carver Academy through Universal, Targeted, and Intensive Supports that encourage family engagement, promote a positive school climate and provide opportunities to meet essential needs. All services are free to students and their families.

Vision to Learn provides vision screenings and glasses at no cost to students. Through mobile vision clinics, VTL brings important health services directly to students in school, reducing many barriers to accessing vision care. This award will help expand Vision To Learn's services to include to East High School and Expo Alternative Learning Center to serve a total of 1026 students.

Waypoint provides domestic violence services in the Waterloo area, offering support for housing, transportation, and other related assistance for victims fleeing abusive households. Victim Advocates answer a 24/7 support line, respond to crisis hospital calls, operate support groups, and providing peer counseling. Housing assistance includes deposits, utilities, application fees, and emergency motels.

The YWCA of Black Hawk County is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Committed to accessibility for individuals of all backgrounds, the YWCA offers key services like child care, the Wize Girls Program for teenage girls, the Pass Program for young parents, and English classes. This award offers operational support for their important work.