Cedar Falls Community Foundation Announces Grants

February 10, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CEDAR FALLS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES DECEMBER & JANUARY GRANTS

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation, the leading philanthropic organization in Cedar Falls, Iowa, approved grants totaling in excess of $85,000 at its January Board meeting. The Cedar Falls Community Foundation uses the resources entrusted to its stewardship to support projects that enhance the community’s quality of life through cultural, scholarly, recreational, literary, and artistic endeavors.

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation encourages community philanthropy and collaboration. The Cedar Falls Woman’s Club has entrusted the Cedar Falls Community Foundation to invest its Building and Endowment Funds. Funds were granted to the Woman’s Club for custom made interior doors and for operating expenses. The Cedar Falls Woman’s Club was built over 100 years ago at the corner of 3rd and Clay Streets as a family home, and was later donated to the Cedar Falls Woman’s Club as a venue for club meetings and community events. For more information visit http://www.cedarfallswomansclub.com.

The Bunger Family Foundation was established in 2014 to honor the memory of Kathy Bunger. The Cedar Falls Community Foundation Bunger Family Foundation Fund granted $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of the Cedar Valley in December.

The Black Hawk-Bremer League of Women Voters established a fund with the Cedar Falls Community Foundation to accept tax deductible donations on its behalf. Grant funds will be used by the League of Women Voters to cover the cost of printing educational materials.

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation North Cedar Fund granted $29,380.00 to the North Cedar Neighborhood Association, a non-profit organization serving the residents of northern Cedar Falls. The grant funds will enable the North Cedar Neighborhood Association to work with the City of Cedar Falls on area wet land extension and education, to work with the Cedar Falls Utilities to add lighting on Center Street, and will enable the development of a North Cedar Neighborhood Association website. Curtiss Gravatt, President of the North Cedar Neighborhood Association said, “We are excited to get started on these projects!”

Grant applications totaling $107,000 were received by the Cedar Falls Community Foundation Ella Rownd Trust in December 2016 from eligible and worthy organizations, all with projects deserving of community support. The Rownd Trust granted $25,000 to Hartman Nature Reserve for their building expansion project, and $10,000 to the Cedar Bend Humane Society for their building project. Both projects will add educational and quality of life amenities that will serve the citizens of Cedar Falls and vicinity.

Connie Svoboda, Development Coordinator for Hartman Reserve Nature Center, said, “We are honored that the Cedar Falls Community Foundation Board felt so strongly about our project. The Board’s endorsement is important to us, and we are very grateful.” For more information on these projects visit hartmanreserve.org and cedarbendhumane.org.

Cynthia Sweet, executive director of the Cedar Falls Community Foundation said, “The Cedar Falls Community Foundation plays an important role in our community, both as a trusted partner for estate planning and other philanthropic gifts to benefit the community, and as a steward of the funds entrusted to its management. Grant requests are carefully vetted to be sure that grants made from the funds entrusted to the Foundation support the donor’s intent for those funds. Because the Foundation is focused on a limited geographic area, donor funds have a big impact on our community and will for generations. The Cedar Falls Community Foundation appreciates the opportunity to serve the Cedar Falls community.”

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation assists many Cedar Falls non-profit organizations by investing and managing their funds. In addition, the Foundation accepts and manages estate gifts and donations to fulfill its mission to use the resources entrusted to its stewardship to support projects that enhance the community’s quality of life through cultural, scholarly, recreational, literary and artistic endeavors.

For more information about the Cedar Falls Community Foundation, please visit www.cf-communityfoundation.org or contact 319.243.9170 or cfcf@cfu.net.