The GreenState Foundation committed to donating $75,000 over the next three years to the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (NCJC) on June 27.
The funds will extend the NCJC’s programs and services to support more disadvantaged youth and families in Iowa City and surrounding communities.
“We are immensely grateful to GreenState Foundation for their generous support,” Neighborhood Centers executive director Rachel Rockwell said in a release. “Their contribution will help NCJC to further provide for those most in need in this community.”
The Iowa City City Council awarded NCJC $2 million from its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding in the spring. The nonprofit’s officials anticipate raising an additional $4 million to support its expansion project and say they’re ecstatic to have GreenState as a preliminary corporate sponsor.
Over the past 20 years, NCJC has outgrown its two hubs located in Iowa City’s Pheasant Ridge and Broadway neighborhoods. The past few years, in particular, have highlighted the need for more preventative youth and family services to support those in the community without connections to the centers.
The need became even more urgent and apparent with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NCJC aims to acquire and renovate a new community center in a low-income, low-resource Iowa City neighborhood. The third building will allow the organization to continue building connections with other community members unable to reach their two existing neighborhood hubs.
“The mission of NCJC is in perfect alignment with GreenState’s values, and we are thrilled to support them as they grow to serve even more families and youth in Iowa City and beyond,” GreenState Foundation president Tara Wachendorf said in a release.
