Four nonprofit organizations serving the Corridor received $8,000 grants each this quarter as part of Big Grove For Good’s ongoing effort to fund community initiatives across Iowa and Nebraska.
The Big Grove For Good Foundation distributed a total of $64,000 to eight organizations this quarter, with half of that funding — $32,000 — going to two Johnson County nonprofits and two Linn County nonprofits, according to a news release.
In Johnson County, Table to Table and TRAIL of Johnson County each received $8,000. Table to Table collects and redistributes surplus food to partner organizations, recovering more than 2.5 million pounds of food annually and providing more than half of the food distributed to local pantries, meal sites and shelters in the area. TRAIL of Johnson County, a volunteer-powered organization, helps older adults age independently by offering support and connection services, including a “Supported Membership” option available at low or no cost for lower-income members. Last year, TRAIL volunteers fulfilled more than 2,500 member requests and logged over 1,100 hours of service through its Life Transition program.
In Linn County, the Catherine McAuley Center and Matthew 25 also each received $8,000 grants. The Catherine McAuley Center describes itself as a “Place of Welcome” for adult learners, refugees, immigrants, and women experiencing homelessness or trauma, serving more than 500 individuals annually through education and support programs. Matthew 25 works to strengthen neighborhoods on the west side of Cedar Rapids through investments in affordable housing, food access and education. The organization’s Cultivate Home Urban Farm grows food in an area considered a food desert, and its Cultivate Hope Program distributed $90,000 worth of food in 2025, with a goal of reaching $100,000 in 2026. Since its founding in 2006, Matthew 25 has invested more than $10 million in Cedar Rapids neighborhoods.
The remaining four grants in this round went to organizations in Polk County and Omaha, Nebraska.
“Our communities are at the heart of everything we do, and the nonprofit organizations we’ve connected with over the years are the driving forces behind thriving places and people,” said Mikala Demet, executive director of the Big Grove For Good Foundation, in a statement. She added that the foundation’s grant committees spent significant time reviewing applicants and thanked supporters whose purchases have helped grow the program.
The foundation directs its annual grants toward three focus areas: trees, trails and water; equity and equality; and hyperlocal organizations working directly in the communities where Big Grove Brewery operates. Big Grove For Good is an independent 501(c)(3) organization inspired by the brewery’s values but run separately from it.
Big Grove Brewery, founded in 2013 in Solon, has grown from a small brewhouse into a top 100 national craft brewery, with locations anchoring the Iowa City riverfront and additional taprooms in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines.
More information on all eight grant recipients is available at biggroveforgood.com.
