The Linn County Board of Supervisors has awarded $80,000 in grants from the Linn County Board of Supervisors Witwer Trust Fund to 19 Linn County nonprofit organizations.
The recipients were selected through an annual competitive grant process that began in November. The Board of Supervisors received more than $500,000 in grant requests, with $80,000 in available funds.
The Witwer Trust was established by Weaver Witwer, a prominent Cedar Rapids grocer and landowner who died in 1979. Mr. Witwer owned and operated a food processing plant, a number of local farms, and what became known as the Me Too grocery stores.
The following organizations received Witwer Trust grant funding for fiscal year 2024:
- Abbe Center For Community Mental Health, replacement of outdoor furniture, $2,000
- Catherine McAuley Center, offering hope and opportunity to women in crisis in Linn County, $3,500
- Cedar Boat Club, July 3 fireworks show, $3,000
- Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival, Inc., return of the Cardboard Boat Race, $1,750
- Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, Affordable Repairs Program, $2,000
- Eastern Iowa Health Center (EIHC), supporting unmet dental deeds for our community, $4,250
- Feed Iowa First, growing sustainable cold storage and fortifying food safety on local farms, $10,000
- Foundation 2 Crisis Services, emergency youth shelter support, $3,000
- Four Oaks Family and Children’s Services, improving access to mental health care for all, $3,500
- Horizons, A Family Service Alliance, Neighborhood Transportation Service (NTS), $7,500
- Iowa Legal Aid, Linn County eviction diversion project, $4,000
- Linn County 3rd Fire District Foundation, Inc., renovation of building to house new fire station, $5,000
- Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club, Shoes for Kids, $1,000
- Matthew 25, Matthew 25 Cultivate Hope free produce program, $5,000
- Riverview Center, Linn County sexual assault/abuse crisis intervention project, $5,000
- Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Community Bed Build 2024, $5,000
- Waypoint, domestic violence fleeing assistance for women and children, $5,000
- Willis Dady Homeless Services, emergency shelter, $5,000
- YPN, Building Bright Futures, $4,500
The Witwer Trust grant cycle begins Nov. 1 of each year. For more information about the Witwer Trust grant program, visit LinnCountyIowa.gov/Witwer.
