The board of directors of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation recently approved more than $4.9 million in grants to 350 nonprofit organizations.
According to a news release, the awards include competitive Organization Support Grants and Program Support Grants from the spring grant cycle, as well as Rapid Response Grants and distributions from donor-advised, designated, scholarship and nonprofit funds. Additionally, the GreatAmerica Financial Services Competitive Donor-Advised Fund awarded $586,500 in grants to 40 organizations.
The Community Foundation brings together private philanthropy with impactful nonprofits to support a healthy and vibrant Linn County. In 2024, the Community Foundation distributed more than $12 million in grants.
The Community Foundation’s competitive grant programs are supported by the Greater Good Fund. Donors who make gifts to the Greater Good Fund have entrusted the Community Foundation to make grants that address ever-changing community needs and opportunities. These grant programs support efforts related to innovation, maintaining success, and building capacity through a competitive grantmaking process. During this grant cycle, the Community Foundation received over $3.4 million in requests for competitive grants and was able to fund $1.3 million (or 38% of the requested amount).
A complete list of the nonprofit organizations who received grant awards is included below. More information about these awards, including the project, purpose and amount of funding, can be found here.
Organization Support Grants
- Area Substance Abuse Council
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa
- Brucemore
- Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre
- Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation
- Eastern Iowa Arts Academy
- Freedom Stitchers of Iowa
- HER Hope Empowerment Resilience
- Heritage Area Agency on Aging
- Lavender Legal Center
- Lisbon-Mount Vernon Ambulance Service
- Matthew 25
- Playtime Poppy Children’s Theatre
- The Arc of East Central Iowa
- The History Center
- Waypoint Services for Women, Children and Families
Program Support Grants
- Catherine McAuley Center
- Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation
- Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity
- CSPS
- Eastern Iowa Arts Academy
- Eastern Iowa Health Center
- Friends of Noelridge Park Greenhouse & Botanical Center Inc
- Friends of the Family
- Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library
- Iowa Humane Alliance
- Junior League of Cedar Rapids
- Marion Cares, Inc.
- Matthew 25
- Our Future Iowa
- Planned Parenthood of the Heartland
- Red Cedar Chamber Music
- Riverview Center Inc.
- Safe Place Foundation
- Theatre Cedar Rapids
- Together We Achieve
- United We March Forward
- Waypoint Services for Women, Children and Families
- Willis Dady Homeless Services
- YPN
Rapid Response Grants
- Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success
- Safe Place Foundation
- Tanager
Other grant recipients include:
GreatAmerica Financial Services Competitive Donor-Advised Fund
- Abbe Center for Community Mental Health
- African American Museum of Iowa
- Area Substance Abuse Council
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa
- Brucemore Inc.
- Catherine McAuley Center
- Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
- Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre
- Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity
- Central City PTO
- Coe College
- Cornell College
- CSPS
- Czech Village/New Bohemia Urban Main Street District
- Deafinitely Dogs Inc.
- Foundation 2
- Four Oaks Family and Children’s Services
- His Hands Free Clinic
- Horizons – A Family Service Alliance
- Indian Creek Nature Center
- Iowa College Foundation
- Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa
- Kirkwood Community College Foundation
- Lisbon-Mount Vernon Ambulance Service
- Marion Independent School Foundation & Alumni Association
- Matthew 25
- Mercy Medical Center
- Mount Mercy University
- National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
- NewBo City Market
- Orchestra Iowa
- Patrons of the Performing Arts at Washington High School
- Red Cedar Chamber Music
- Revival Theatre Company
- Tanager
- The Arc of East Central Iowa
- Theatre Cedar Rapids
- Willis Dady Homeless Services
- Zach Johnson Foundation
The next grant deadline at the Community Foundation is on Friday, June 27 at 4:30 p.m. CST. For more details about 2025 funding opportunities, visit www.gcrcf.org.
