Statewide Iowa — Iowa community foundations will join in a nationwide celebration from November 12-18, to recognize the increasingly important role these philanthropic organizations play in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address persistent civic and economic challenges. During this week, community foundations come together to share and reflect on stories of impact of their recent work. Iowa community foundations continue to play an important role in responding to critical needs and leading collaborative efforts to support their communities.
Community foundations are independent, public entities which steward philanthropic resources from individual and institutional donors to local nonprofit organizations that are the heart of strong, vibrant communities. Iowa Council of Foundations president Kari McCann Boutell says, “The work of community foundations reaches beyond the practice of giving and touches the lives of individuals, revealing a path to a brighter future. There is a tangible, positive impact for individuals and communities as a result of these organizations in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.
Each of the state’s 99 counties is home to at least one community foundation. This means local leaders with deep knowledge of their communities are making decisions about how best to support those in need. In addition, 84 counties in Iowa that do not hold a state-issued gaming license benefit from participation in the County Endowment Fund Program. This program, established by the state legislature in 2004, is funded by a percentage of the state’s commercial gaming tax revenues. Funds are distributed annually to participating community foundations and affiliate community foundations. Local advisory committees make grant awards to nonprofits in their communities with a portion of their funds, while the remaining portion is used to build the county’s endowment fund, which can be used to support current and future needs. These grants, along with grants made in counties with a state-issued gaming license that benefit from grants from Qualified Sponsoring Organizations, ensure that each county in Iowa receives charitable grant dollars annually.
Community Foundations Week was created in 1989 by former President George H.W. Bush to recognize the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community problems. As community foundations find solutions for communities large and small, urban and rural – it is the collective work of these organizations that will have the most profound impact.
Here in northwest Iowa, each of the counties’ Community Foundations operate independently, but are part of the Siouxland Community Foundation.
