The Iowa West Foundation in Council Bluffs has announced grants totaling more than $9.3 million in support of nonprofit organizations and government entities across southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

Through the foundation's first funding cycle of 2021, grants were awarded in support of efforts to alleviate poverty, provide essential equipment for volunteer firefighters, support infrastructure and amenities in rural areas, and provide educational opportunities to students in the region. The awards include nearly $1 million to Pottawattamie Promise, which provides full tuition for Iowa Western Community College to students from six area high schools who qualify. Now in its seventh year, the program is conducted in partnership with the Peter Kiewit and IWCC foundations.

Additional grants include $2.4 million in support of efforts to revitalize the Council Bluffs riverfront, part of the foundation's $15 million commitment to the project. In addition, the foundation awarded $1.4 million for a replacement for the "Looking Up" sculpture, to be installed later this spring, and more than $2 million in operating support to local nonprofits working in the areas of education, arts and culture, and human services.

"Support from Iowa West Foundation has a profound impact on the lives of children in our community from birth through college," said Ann Mausbach, chair of the foundation's Education Advisory Committee and an associate professor at Creighton University. "Investing in parent education, high-quality preschools, and college scholarships shows our commitment to making southwest Iowa communities healthy and vibrant."

For a complete list of grant recipients, see the Iowa West Foundation website.

(Photo credit: Ballet Nebraska)