Search Through Plant Grants in Iowa in the U.S.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

Community Involvement

We believe in giving back, doing good and making a positive impact in our communities.

Generations of Donaldson employees and their families give their time, energy and aid to various philanthropic efforts, addressing the needs of our local communities and helping transform lives. Organizations are supported in partnership with the Donaldson Foundation and through numerous employee-led volunteer events.

Foundation

Founded in 1966, the Donaldson Foundation is our main vehicle for charitable giving. Led by a volunteer employee board, the Foundation supports organizations and programs that further educational initiatives in our communities.

Led by a Board comprised of employee volunteers, the mission of the Donaldson Foundation is to positively impact our communities by supporting education.

The Donaldson Foundation grants $1.2 million every year to non-profit organizations within our communities where our employees live and work. Our philanthropy focuses on:

• Supporting educational opportunities for those who otherwise would not have them
• Matching grants to educational institutions
• Providing scholarships for post-secondary institutions
• Partnering with our plant communities to address local education needs

Grant Criteria

• Educational focus
• Degree of need for those benefited
• Impact
• Sustainability
• Connection to our communities

Alliant Energy Foundation

Since 1998, the Alliant Energy Foundation has invested more than $76 million in local community organizations and initiatives. The Foundation supports projects that help families thrive, encourages communities to innovate and protects the natural beauty of Iowa and Wisconsin.

Focus Areas

We focus our giving on four strategic areas that align with our values: 

Hunger and Housing

• In this category, we support programs in:
  • Clothing and household needs:
    • Clothing; baby essentials such as cribs, car seats and diapers; household necessities.
  • Food and nutrition:
    • Food pantry support, food delivery and meal outreach, school and backpack nutrition, refrigeration needs, emergency food, farm-to-table.
  • Housing and shelter:
    • Emergency shelter support, refrigeration needs (excluding heating equipment), transition and permanent housing, housing for people with disabilities, home ownership, homelessness prevention, case management assistance, independent living.
  • Transportation: 
    • Bus passes, ride share.

Workforce Readiness

• In this category, we support programs in:
  • Agriculture:
    • Youth agriculture (FFA, 4-H), school gardens, farm education and innovation, county fairs.
  • Literacy and education:
    • Libraries and bookmobiles; after school and summer reading; adult literacy; financial and digital literacy; STEM programming, workshops and festivals; STEM grants for K-12 classrooms; interactive classroom programs/tools; after school and summer STEM programs.
  • Workforce development and transportation:
    • Career exploration and job training, employment skills for disadvantaged youth, employment for people with disabilities, school-to-career solutions, energy industry programs, work transportation assistance and ride share.
  • Youth development: 
    • Leadership and mentoring, anti-bullying, after school programs, YMCA.

Environmental Stewardship

• In this category, we support programs in:
  • Environmental conservation:
    • Protecting wildlife spaces, planting trees and prairies, creating and protecting habitats, water cleanup.
  • Environmental education:
    • Public education, workshops, and school programs about environmental issues, endangered species and wildlife protection.
  • Park updates:
    • Improving city parks with benches, signs and picnic tables.
  • Trail projects: 
    • Enhancing trails with benches, signs, picnic tables, garden beds and maintenance.

Community Safety and Engagement

• In this category, we support programs in:
  • First responders:
    • Lifesaving equipment such as thermal cameras, gas monitors, fire gear and AEDs. (Standard funding: $1,000)
  • Community events:
    • Festivals, fairs, holiday lights and parades.
  • Playground updates:
    • New equipment for public parks. (Standard funding: $1,000)
  • Disaster readiness and relief:
    • Aid for natural disasters, fires and pandemics.

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

About Us

The Siouxland Community Foundation (SCF) provides services to donors to establish endowed funds without incurring the administrative and legal costs of an independent foundation. Individuals, families, corporations, nonprofits, private foundations and Siouxland communities can realize nearly any charitable intent. When creating a charitable fund within SCF you determine its purpose:

• Assist the elderly
• Enhance a neighborhood or community
• Address community health issues
• Feed the hungry
• Provide scholarships
• Provide a safe place for children to play

Akron Community Foundation

Background

Florence Peterson had a vision to ensure that charitable programs in the community were supported now and in the future. In 2001, she planted the first seeds of giving through a gift from her estate to establish an endowment within the Siouxland Community Foundation for the exclusive benefit of the Akron, Iowa community. The Akron Community Foundation now serves as a vehicle to receive gifts from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to establish endowment funds that will provide grant awards for years to come. All gifts received are carefully invested and the income from endowments is used to make grants to public charities that best meet the needs in Akron. A seven-member advisory board appointed by position is responsible for governing the Foundation.

Mission

The mission of the Akron Community Foundation is to identify and fulfill community needs, impact future growth and development of Akron, promote volunteerism, attract and distribute funds, and enhance the quality of life in Akron by providing leadership, creating opportunities, and challenging the community to share time, talent, and resources through personal involvement and commitment.

The purpose of the Akron Community Foundation is to connect donors who care with causes that matter and to enhance the quality of life in the Akron community.

Akron Community Foundation Grant

Purpose

The purpose of the Akron Community Foundation’s grant program is to respond to present and emerging charitable needs within Akron by making grants in the following areas:

• Arts & Culture: Provide or increase access to theatre, music, arts, dance, museums, historical events.
• Civic: Community betterment/beautification, city government, emergency services, citizen participation, parks and recreation.
• Education: Early childhood development/daycare, primary, secondary, and continuing education; libraries.
• Environment: Pollution control, natural resource conservation, botanic/horticultural activities.
• Health: Promotion and maintenance of physical, dental and mental health; rehabilitative services, crisis intervention.
• Human Services: Housing/shelter, public safety, services for the elderly, youth, families, handicapped, economically disadvantaged, minorities or other special groups.

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What is an eligible area?

Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas. 

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. There are two types of RBDG projects, Opportunity grants and Enterprise grants.

• Opportunity type grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.
• Enterprise type grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application.

How may Enterprise type funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports, or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Rural distance learning for job training and advancement for adult students.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

How may Opportunity type funds be used?

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Our History

People often ask me why I started Trees Forever back in 1989. I’m a very visual person by nature and have always loved driving through the Midwest countryside and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I was driving to a meeting once on a very windy winter day. The ditches were piled high with snow, and I began to notice all the black soil that had collected on top of snowbanks. As I drove along, the wind blew cornstalks and dried-out weeds across the road in front of me—along with our beautiful black topsoil!

As I continued to drive, I also noticed some of the magnificent windbreaks that were protecting many of the farmsteads—and the fields full of precious topsoil—from the blowing winds. Many landowners had obviously cared for and added to their windbreaks over the years, keeping them healthy and well maintained. Others had removed them completely or had let nature take its course, with only a few scraggly trees remaining. Along streams and rivers, trees and shrubby vegetation were often missing.

I wondered how our water quality would suffer, thinking of what could be done to help. I thought to myself, “Something needed to change… and soon!” As I talked with friends and colleagues later, we came to the conclusion that someone needed to replant all those trees, and work to keep others from being lost. And that someone had to start with us! That is, basically, how and why Trees Forever came to be—a grassroots group of citizen volunteers determined to make a difference in our neighborhoods, communities and state. And it’s why we continue to do the important work we do today; to make sure our world is a greener, healthier, more vibrant place for our children and grandchildren! 

Alliant Energy One Million Trees Initiative

Alliant Energy’s Community Tree Planting Program, Part of the One Million Trees Initiative is a nationally recognized and award-winning tree planting program in which Alliant Energy, Trees Forever and your community work together to plan, fund and implement community tree planting projects. The program is designed to encourage energy efficiency, environmental awareness and community stewardship.

Communities can apply for grants up to $5,000 to pay for the cost of trees only. Trees must be landscape-sized in 5 to 10-gallon pots and are purchased locally by the community with the grant funds from Alliant Energy. In Iowa, a small number of trees are covered by customer’s Energy Efficiency contributions. Trees Forever administers and facilitates the program, providing organizational, educational, planning and planting support through our network of experienced field staff.

Project grants are awarded once per year, but plantings can occur anytime in the Spring or Fall.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Our roots run deep.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation makes grants annually to support the work of public charities with tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in the geographical markets that we serve.

As one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation, Ash Grove plays an important part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. And with plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities in which we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

Ash Grove territory is a lot of ground to cover. We believe in active participation to improve the existing and future quality of life in the communities we serve. This participation includes financial support to charitable activities. We aren’t just focused on building highways and buildings – we are also helping to build better communities.

Ash Grove is one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation. Ash Grove plays a part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. With plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation mission is to support communities today without compromising future needs, where nature is respected, minds challenged, opportunities created, and neighbors gather in the community. We stand together to build better communities. Communities that thrive today and for future generations.

Funding Priorities

The Foundation awards grants to charitable, educational, and scientific organizations, which are public charities.

The Foundation gives primary consideration to capital building and renovation projects for the following funding priorities:

• Nature – Protect or Preserve.
• Education – STEM
• Economic – Trade Skills
• Civic – Gather in Community
• Human Services – Shelter

Funding

The Foundation’s goal is to provide significant support to public charities for capital building and renovation projects. Grants for these projects generally are limited to $25,000. Consideration is also given to program grant requests. Grants for these projects are generally limited to $5,000.

Our History

People often ask me why I started Trees Forever back in 1989. I’m a very visual person by nature and have always loved driving through the Midwest countryside and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I was driving to a meeting once on a very windy winter day. The ditches were piled high with snow, and I began to notice all the black soil that had collected on top of snowbanks. As I drove along, the wind blew cornstalks and dried-out weeds across the road in front of me—along with our beautiful black topsoil!

As I continued to drive, I also noticed some of the magnificent windbreaks that were protecting many of the farmsteads—and the fields full of precious topsoil—from the blowing winds. Many landowners had obviously cared for and added to their windbreaks over the years, keeping them healthy and well maintained. Others had removed them completely or had let nature take its course, with only a few scraggly trees remaining. Along streams and rivers, trees and shrubby vegetation were often missing.

I wondered how our water quality would suffer, thinking of what could be done to help. I thought to myself, “Something needed to change… and soon!” As I talked with friends and colleagues later, we came to the conclusion that someone needed to replant all those trees, and work to keep others from being lost. And that someone had to start with us! That is, basically, how and why Trees Forever came to be—a grassroots group of citizen volunteers determined to make a difference in our neighborhoods, communities and state. And it’s why we continue to do the important work we do today; to make sure our world is a greener, healthier, more vibrant place for our children and grandchildren! 

For decades, Trees Forever has helped thousands of community volunteers, civic leaders, government officials and landowners just like you, each and every year. We’ve helped you and others plant and care for more trees, shrubs, and native grasses and plants. And we continually promote the value and importance of our natural areas, so that they are protected and can continue to grow and thrive for future generations to enjoy. Trees Forever wants to talk to you about how you can use native plants to feed and shelter pollinators.

Pollinator Habitat Conservation Grant

Each year, we recruit pollinator habitat demonstration sites in Iowa and Illinois to showcase proper site selection and preparation, appropriate plant species composition, and on-going maintenance requirements for the establishment of sustainable pollinator-friendly habitat.

Your yard, farm, a parcel you own, a local city lot, school or nature center could become a pollinator habitat demonstration site. We also are always happy to talk to your service club, city council, garden group, or class about why pollinators are important and how you can help them. This habitat improvement program is possible thanks to support from Trees Forever members, Syngenta, Operation Pollinator and Growmark.

Community Foundation of Northwest Iowa

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa is a place of connection where generosity and community action meet to create powerful impacts improving the quality of life for all people. 

We connect inspired people to causes they care about most, make grants to strengthen effective nonprofits, and provide leadership on key community issues to make Iowa communities better places. Since 1956, we have been “here for good,” working side-by-side people and organizations as a catalyst for positive community change. Today, CFNEIA works in 20 Iowa counties to meet local needs and fulfill a vision of creating a vibrant region of thriving people.

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa is accredited with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®—the highest standards for philanthropic excellence.

Mission & Values

We must live out our mission and values as we strive to reach the vision of a vibrant region of thriving people. We will do this in our everyday actions and through strategic planning that leads to long-term impacts. 

Uplift Grants

The Community Foundation provides eligible agencies with one-year discretionary grants on a competitive basis to improve life for residents of Black Hawk County, Iowa. Uplift Grant requests can be for operations, programming, materials, equipment, and capital projects.

Grant Amount

Grant proposal requests must be a minimum of $5,000.   Maximum request amount for Trees for Waterloo is $18,236.

Funding Preferences and Priorities

Trees for Waterloo: To support projects that support the beautification of the Waterloo downtown and residential areas, primarily to be used for street tree planting. Supported by the Dick H. and Immy Young Family Fund and the Young-Magrid Fund.

Community Ties Giving Program

As part of the Community Ties Giving Program, Local Grants help us achieve our mission by providing small and medium-sized grants within our priority cause areas to local organizations spread widely across Union Pacific's footprint.

Funding Priorities & Objectives

Throughout its existence, the success of Union Pacific's business has been inextricably linked to the economic and community wellbeing of cities and towns across the nation. We take pride in the role we have played in helping communities thrive and believe the impact we can have on local communities is greatest when it is authentic to our history and reflective of the diverse company we are today.

As such, we have carefully aligned our Local Grants cause areas to our company's unique heritage, strengths, and assets. Specifically, we prioritize funding for direct services and efforts that build the capacity of organizations focused on the following causes within our local operating communities. Within each focus area, we aim to support programs and organizations working to advance the diversity, equity and inclusion of underrepresented populations within the local context and issue areas addressed. Find more information about our commitment to DEI in our FAQs.

Safety

In order for communities to thrive, all residents must feel safe. Just as the safety of our employees and community members is paramount to how we operate, Union Pacific is committed to helping communities prevent and prepare for incidents and emergencies, and helping residents get home safely at the end of each day. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to: 

• Encourage safe behaviors and prevent incidents through education and awareness, particularly projects which focus on rail, driver, bike, and pedestrian safety, and ensure outreach efforts reach underserved populations.
• Eliminate risks and improve safe and equitable access to community spaces through infrastructure improvements, such as signage, proper lighting, and public trail improvements.
• Prepare and equip residents and emergency responders* to effectively respond to incidents and emergencies if or when they occur.
  • *Union Pacific supports publicly funded emergency responders through a variety of corporate programs; only independent nonprofit, 501(c)(3) emergency response organizations, such as volunteer departments, are eligible for funding through this grant program
• Prevent crime and violent incidents and support survivors of domestic violence through efforts that address the root causes of these issues and seek to mitigate their occurrence.
• Build the capacity of safety-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Workforce Development

For more than 160 years, Union Pacific has helped stimulate economic growth in cities and towns throughout the nation by training and providing employment to millions of workers. More than ever, we are committed to helping underrepresented residents in our communities achieve family-supporting careers like those offered by Union Pacific. As such, we prioritize funding for programs that seek to:

• Put youth on the right track by creating awareness of and pathways toward employment opportunities; building foundational skills, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); establishing necessary technical skills and life skills; and providing mentorship and positive role models for the future.
• Raise awareness of, educate and prepare young adults for middle skills jobs like those Union Pacific offers, for instance through community colleges, vocational and career training programs, workforce readiness initiatives, and programs that assist with job placement and/or on-the-job experience.
  • Programs that develop proficiency in areas relevant to Union Pacific operations such as welding, electrical work, machine operations, and civil and electrical engineering are given priority.
• "Up-skill" the existing workforce by providing training and resources that enable them to reach the next level of their career.
  • Programs that develop proficiency in areas of relevance to Union Pacific operations are given priority.
• Resolve barriers to employment such as transportation, childcare, acquiring necessary equipment for work, and second chance employment programs.
• Build the capacity of workforce development-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Community Vitality

Union Pacific Railroad is committed to establishing vibrant, healthy and inclusive communities for employees, customers and residents to work, visit and call home. Just as the railroad opened avenues for economic development and opportunity more than 160 years ago, we maintain this tradition by cultivating unique cultural and recreational experiences and equipping community members with opportunities to live healthy, vital lives. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to:

• Create, sustain or expand artistic and cultural experiences offered to a broad and diverse audience (e.g., museums, theaters, zoos, cultural and local heritage, visual and performing arts, etc.)
• Provide recreational opportunities that foster wellbeing, enrichment and/or an appreciation for our natural environment (e.g., parks, libraries, senior centers, recreation centers, learning centers, etc.).
• Revive neighborhoods and main street areas, especially in historically underinvested neighborhoods, to improve livability, promote commerce and attract more residents, businesses and visitors to town.
• Ensure residents’ basic needs are met and barriers are overcome (e.g., safe shelter and homelessness prevention, hunger relief, mental health and community health needs, etc.).
• Offer youth development and educational opportunities to ensure young people can thrive into healthy and productive community members (e.g., mentoring, leadership development, tutoring, services for youth in foster care, etc.).
• Build the capacity of community vitality-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Environmental Sustainability

The future of our business, communities and planet depends on bold, collective action to reduce and slow the impacts of climate change while building a more sustainable economy for the next generation. Union Pacific is taking deliberate steps to reduce our environmental impact and helping our partners improve their own. Extending this commitment to our community investments, we seek to support leading environmental nonprofits and community-based organizations to advance the health of our environment. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to:

• Preserve and restore nature, including programs focused on natural habitats, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
• Protect and enhance water, soil and air quality through innovative and proactive solutions such as water conservation, carbon sequestration and emission reduction programs.
• Reduce waste through initiatives focused on promoting recycling and circularity throughout the community, including recycling and composting programs and other efforts that reduce waste.
• Develop environmental stewards through youth programs focused on fostering environmental appreciation, responsibility, and leadership.
• Advance a sustainable economy by helping communities accelerate their transition to environmental jobs and renewable energy, as well as helping nonprofits and small businesses build their own capacity to operate more sustainably.
• Promote environmental justice through initiatives that ensure access to clean air, water, and land and protect underserved populations from disproportionate and adverse environmental effects.
• Build the capacity of sustainability-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation.

How It Works

CSP helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop yields, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals. We can help you schedule timely planting of cover crops, develop a grazing plan that will improve your forage base, implement no-till to reduce erosion or manage forested areas in a way that benefits wildlife habitat. If you are already taking steps to improve the condition of the land, chances are CSP can help you find new ways to meet your goals.

Benefits

CSP is for working lands. It is the largest conservation program in the United States with more than 70 million acres of productive agricultural and forest land enrolled in CSP. Thousands of people voluntarily enroll in the program because it helps them enhance natural resources and improve their business operation.

CSP participants are seeing real results. Some of these benefits include:

• Increased crop yields
• Decreased inputs
• Wildlife habitat population improvements
• Increased resilience to weather extremes

What types of payments are offered through CSP?

There are three types of payments available through CSP.

• Annual contract payments which are based on two components: Payments to maintain the existing level of conservation based on the land uses included in the contract. Payments to implement additional conservation practices and activities.
• Supplemental payments for producers willing to implement a resource conserving crop rotation, improve an existing resource conserving crop rotation, or implement advanced grazing management.
• Minimum contract payments for most contracts.

Iowa Priority Resource Concern Categories

• Ag Land
  • Wind and Water Erosion
  • Concentrated erosion
  • Field Sediment, Nutrient and Pathogen Loss
  • Livestock Production Limitation
  • Terrestrial Habitat
  • Soil Quality Limitations
  • Degraded Plant Condition
  • Pest Pressure
• NIPF
  • Concentrated Erosion
  • Soil Quality Limitations
  • Pest Pressure
  • Degraded Plant Condition
  • Terrestrial Habitat
  • Fire Management
  • Livestock Production Limitation
  • Aquatic Habitat

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

What We Do

The Facts

We champion generosity. Our mission is to transform the region through the generosity of donors.

And that’s why we work—day in and day out—to be the trusted place where generous people in the Quad Cities (and beyond!) make gifts to support their community, specific organizations and causes most important to them. We are an independent, public charity with a team of Quad Citizens committed to listening to our donors’ charitable goals, and then working alongside them to help them best meet their hopes and dreams.

Through gifts and funds established at the Quad Cities Community Foundation by donors, for our community, we award grants and scholarships to people and organizations residing primarily in Rock Island County, Illinois, and Scott County, Iowa. Through our network of Geographic Affiliate Funds and Community Funds, we also serve the residents and needs of surrounding counties.

How we do it

The Quad Cities Community Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors of community leaders and is administered by a full-time professional staff dedicated to helping connect people who care with causes that matter. We offer extensive knowledge about charitable organizations and can help you make informed decisions about charitable giving. 

QC River Connections Grant

The QC River Connections grant supports projects and organizations that address environmental issues facing the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities area. We seek to support efforts that prioritize both inclusive and equitable community engagement practices and nature-based solutions to build and strengthen relationships among people, organizations, communities, and the river.

These efforts should align with the Clean River Advisory Council’s Mississippi River Equity Vision and be guided by communities of color or others disproportionately impacted by environmental issues facing the Mississippi River but underrepresented in the environmental sector. 

Projects might include – but are not limited to:

• Nature-based solutions like rain gardens or urban tree planting.
• Clean up, restoration, and conservation projects – these could be located on the Mississippi or other rivers that flow into it, adjacent wetlands, or other places from which water flows into the river.
• Education programs on environmental issues, green careers, or our community’s varied cultural experiences of the river.
• Youth-driven, volunteer, or community engagement projects that relate to the river.
• Projects that encourage and support people to safely and inclusively access the Mississippi River for recreation, healing, tourism, and more.
• Strengthening the ability of environmental organizations to do their work equitably.
• Strengthening the ability to do environmental work of organizations or groups who represent underrepresented groups in the environmental sector, including communities of color and low-income communities, as well as people, neighborhoods, and communities most affected by environmental issues facing the Mississippi River but have less access to resources and opportunities to influence solutions.
• Strengthening the ability of environmental and community groups to build relationships and meaningfully work together.

From weather to pests, each American farmer faces a unique set of challenges. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural and forestry producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits.

How It Works

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides technical and financial assistance to producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat, and mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.

This voluntary conservation program helps producers make conservation work for them. Together, NRCS and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.

Benefits

Together, NRCS and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while improving agricultural operations. Some of these benefits include:

• Reduction of contamination from agricultural sources, such as animal feeding operations.
• Efficient utilization of nutrients, reducing input costs and reduction in nonpoint source pollution.
• Increased soil health to help mitigate against increasing weather volatility and improved drought resiliency.

How can EQIP help in Iowa?

Targeted EQIP financial assistance is available through general EQIP, and several other initiatives at the local level. These initiatives address priority natural resource concerns on the most vulnerable lands, target conservation assistance in high priority watersheds, or help stimulate the development and adoption of innovation and technology.

In addition to national priorities Iowa has identified the following priorities:

• Surface and subsurface water quality related to the presence of excessive nutrients and organics related to livestock production by animal feeding operations on open feedlots
• Plant condition and management to protect/improve pastureland, soil erosion control.
• Wildlife management to protect at risk wildlife species.

Special EQIP Programs and Initiatives

• EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts
• Iowa Soil Health EQIP Initiative
• Source Water Protection (SWP)
• Prairie Pothole Water Quality and Wildlife Program
• Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative
• National Water Quality Initiative
• High Tunnel Initiative
• On-Farm Energy Initiative
• Organic Initiative

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

Honda Corporate Funding

Honda’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision is to help people fulfill their life’s potential. We do this by supporting the communities where we live and work through financial contributions and the volunteer efforts of Honda associates.

Honda offers funding opportunities for programmatic support and community event sponsorships.

Programmatic Support

Honda and the Honda USA Foundation provide funding to nonprofit organizations and schools to support programs that align with our pillar award categories.

Year-over-year certain pillar award categories may not always be open for funding, are subject to change, and in some cases, Honda may extend invitation-only opportunities to select community partners.

Environment Pillar Award:

Honda is working to reduce our environmental impact, which is central to our sustainability vision. Our approach focuses on three key areas: decarbonizing our products and operations, using clean energy, and using natural resources efficiently. Through education, awareness, and infrastructure programs, we are seeking to support programs within our communities that share our mission to protect the health of our planet.

Black Hills Energy Power of Trees

Power of Trees is a partnership of Black Hills Energy, Trees Forever and your community to fund tree plantings that save energy, beautify your community and enhance the environment. It is offered to Iowa communities served by Black Hills Energy. Trees can be planted on both public and private property, but to qualify, the project must relate to energy efficiency. Projects include trees planted in the public right of way between streets and buildings, schools and public buildings. Black Hills Energy provides grants of up to $5,000 per community for community-based tree-planting projects. Trees Forever administers the program and provides staff to help community leaders and volunteers plan and complete successful long-lasting projects.