Cedar Falls Community Foundation Awards 2023 Grants!

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation has awarded $73,000 in grants to area non-profits and childcare facilities. Applications for these grants were accepted from April 1st through June 30th and were approved by the organization’s board of directors in July. Funding for the grants came from the Rownd Trust, the Diamond Arts and History Fund, the CFCF Health and Wellness Fund and the CFCF Children and Families Fund.

Cedar Valley Preschool and Childcare will receive $3,000 from the Children and Families Fund. The funding will be used to replace four windows on the main floor of their facility that do not currently open, which helps address some health and safety issues. This institution has been providing a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment for the past 52 years! Children from various family styles, economic circumstances, diverse cultures, and with different capabilities are served at the Cedar Valley Preschool and Childcare facility so that parents can attend work or school with peace of mind.

The Learn and Play Preschool and Daycare LLC will receive $5,000 from the Children and Family Fund to help pay for furniture and equipment in their new addition. While at this facility children are engaged in educational and developmental programs that allow them to grow physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually. They are cared for in a safe and nurturing environment that is supplemental to the care they receive from their family unit.

Wonderfully Made Childcare will receive $5,000 from the Children and Families Fund to help pay for an egress window, which will allow for an expansion of the childcare facility. Wonderfully Made Childcare is a home-based childcare provider near Orchard Hill Elementary that provides infant-school age care. They meet individual needs through hands-on learning, faith-building, and play, all while nurturing the children’s hearts and minds in a simple homestead environment.

The Cedar Falls Pickleball Club will receive $12,500 paid out over two years to support the pickleball complex expansion and enhancement project from the Rownd Trust. This expansion will enhance the facilities in Orchard Hill Park with an additional 8 pickleball courts, a new shelter, and a plaza/social area, as well as an expanded parking lot.
The Cedar Falls Pickleball Club works to promote and grow the sport of pickleball in the Cedar Valley by providing fun, healthy, recreational and social opportunities for all in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Cedar Heights Parents Teachers United will receive $5,000 for a new playground at Cedar Heights Elementary from the Rownd Trust. Funding will be used to help construct a playground to replace the current wooden playground that has become unsafe due to deteriorating pieces as well as wasps building nests inside the play structure.
The Cedar Heights Parents Teachers United mission is to support the education, mental, and social welfare of children at Cedar Heights Elementary by fostering relationships among the school, parents, teachers, and community.

The Cedar Falls Community Theater will receive $6,000 for a new furnace for the Oster Regent Theater from the Rownd Trust. This repair will make it so the top two floors of the building can continue to be used during the winter months. By supporting the physical venue, we can ensure a healthy arts and culture sector in the Cedar Valley.
The mission of the Cedar Falls Community Theater is to showcase community-based performing arts in Cedar Falls.

The Cedar Falls Community Center will also receive $6,000 from the Rownd Trust for new furniture. The current seating was donated in 2004 when the Community Center was built and is now in poor condition. The Community Center will also be receiving new flooring and with these updates, the city hopes to increase the appeal to the community to rent the space and make it a more inviting place for all. The Cedar Falls Community Center provides programs and services to senior citizens, hosts public events, and is rented on evenings and weekends by community members for private events.

The University of Northern Iowa Foundation will receive $2,500 to fund audio-description supported performances for TheatreUNI. This grant will support their goal of providing descriptive services opportunities during live performances, in addition to other support, for visually-impaired and blind theatre patrons. The Department of Theatre at UNI works to engage students, audiences, community members, teachers, and guest artists in diverse, innovative and captivating theatre that illuminates the human condition. The department’s coursework and productions serve both students preparing for a life in the theatre and those preparing a place for theatre in their lives.

The Hearst Center for the Arts will receive $3,000 from the Diamond Arts and History Fund to support an art and culture mobile tour. This will be a pilot project to develop a Cedar Falls Public Art mobile tour and selfie scavenger hunt, Hearst Sculpture Garden Scavenger Hunt, and art quizzes for youth over the fall of 2023. The Hearst Center for the Arts opens doors to the humanities and creative arts through the excellence and appeal of exhibitions and programs.

The College Hill Partnership was awarded a grant of $25,000 to support a new inclusive and accessible playground at Seerley Park. At present, the park is not ADA accessible and this renovation will add stable surface and smooth transitions for those with mobility and vision challenges, as well as inclusive playground equipment, and a fence. The College Hill Partnership is a non-profit organization that serves as the leader in revitalization and promotion of the College Hill area, an urban neighborhood community. The scope of it’s mission includes promoting healthy neighborhood business and housing enhancement; strengthening collaboration and pride; developing public/private partnerships; and serving as an advocate for addressing area concerns.

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation
The Cedar Falls Community Foundation (CFCF) is a nationally accredited community foundation working with donors to make a difference in Cedar Falls. The Cedar Falls Community Foundation is located inside Farmers State Bank, 6th and Main Street, Cedar Falls, and is accessible by appointment, phone 319.243.9170, email: director@cf-communityfoundation.org, and website: www.cf-communityfoundation.org.

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