Welcome to the Iowa West Foundation. The purpose of this website is to share ideas as we work together to transform our community. Through this blog I’ll share my thoughts and ideas and invite your feedback. Please check back frequently. Your thoughts are important to me, and to creating the community we all envision.
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In preparing for this year’s annual report, it became clear that there were a number of major projects started in 2015 that are still in the works (at the Mid-America Center, the Riverfront, and West Broadway to name a few). Because the work on these transformational efforts is ongoing, our images primarily consist of renderings. […]
Recently, the Iowa West Foundation’s Grants Team took a look at a piece of reporting that we know is a pain point for a number of our grantees. The process in question relates to the financial reporting we require as part of closing out a grant or requesting a disbursement from the Foundation. If you […]
Growing up, summers meant surviving 100 degree days, wishing for a swimming pool but making due with a sprinkler, riding bikes with the air rushing through my hair, running after ice cream trucks, and catching lightening bugs. My notion of carefree summers came to a screeching halt when my then kindergartener came home from her […]
The City Council voted at last Monday’s City Council Meeting to postpone the Fieldhouse/Hotel Project at the Mid-America Center so that they could receive additional public input. The developer of this project is an L.L.C. created by the Iowa West Foundation. Approximately five years ago, Iowa West hired two companies to conduct surveys of the […]
“With great power comes great responsibility.” This adage comes to mind because I was recently asked: “Isn’t your job just to give away money?” Well, yes and no. Yes, our primary “job,” is to award funding three times per year. But along with that comes the responsibility to be good stewards of our investments all […]
Since the opening of the Mid-America Center and surrounding plaza, the hope was that the area would be bustling with shoppers and diners, both from Council Bluffs and Omaha, as well as visitors from across the region and country. Unfortunately, the development that the community desired never materialized. The empty storefronts and limited activity have […]
For more than 20 years, the Iowa West Foundation has worked with the City of Council Bluffs to bring about transformational revitalization projects to our community. One need not look far to see the impact this powerful partnership has made on the citizens of the city. From Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park where Loessfest draws […]
Before the Bob Kerrey pedestrian bridge was even built, it was referred to as “the bridge to nowhere.” Harsh, but somewhat true as the Iowa side of the Missouri River lacked development, usable space and any sort of draw for people to go there. Simply put, the same can no longer be said. Council Bluffs’ […]
In 2014, the Iowa West Foundation awarded just over $20 million in grants and initiatives to more than 69 nonprofits and government entities. These programs and projects benefit eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa communities, largely Pottawattamie County and Council Bluffs. I invite you to read the 2014 Annual Report to learn more about the wide range of […]
At the end of each due diligence meeting, I like to save an opportunity for applicants to ask any questions they may have about the process. At a recent meeting, the applicant’s question was “So, how did we do?” This gave me a chance to spend some time with them talking about what our advisory […]
