Wings2Water, an environmental nonprofit focused on water quality improvement and education, has named seven organizations as its 2026 grant recipients, distributing a total of $30,000 across projects in Iowa and beyond.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all grant recipients this year,” said Rebekah Jones, Wings2Water board president. “With a surge in applications, we’re seeing a growing commitment within our communities to address water quality issues, and we’re incredibly proud of the diverse range of initiatives these funds will support. Together, we’re making strides toward cleaner water locally and downstream.”
The recipients and their awards are as follows:
Linn County Conservation, $7,500. Grant funds will support construction of a new wetland at the 72-acre Stark Settlement near Morgan Creek County Park. The wetland’s drainage area flows into Morgan Creek, a waterway significant to Cedar Rapids’ drinking water supply, as the city’s water wells are located near where Morgan Creek enters the Cedar River. The project is expected to provide water quality and wildlife habitat benefits to the Morgan Creek watershed, along with recreational and educational opportunities for the Cedar Rapids metro area.
Izaak Walton League of America, $5,049. Funds will support the league’s Nitrate Watch program, which offers free testing kits and a digital platform for monitoring tap water and local waterways. The program recorded more than 6,600 nitrate readings nationwide in 2025, with Iowa accounting for more than half of all participation. The grant will help keep Nitrate Watch kits free and support volunteer growth heading into 2026.
University of Dubuque, $5,000. The university is tracking environmental and ecological changes at stream sites on the property of New Melleray Abbey in Dubuque County. Environmental studies students have been assisting the abbey in restoring streams through the installation of beaver dam analogues and the planting of forest and prairie buffer strips. The Wings2Water award will allow the university to also compare water quality between restoration and control sites. The project is intended to offer a framework for farmers looking to convert farmland to natural ecosystems to improve water quality and biodiversity in riparian systems.
Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Development, $4,830. Northeast Iowa RC&D and partner volunteer organizations have collected and analyzed water quality data in the Upper Iowa River Watershed for more than 25 years. The award will allow the program to continue and make its data publicly available through an interactive platform at upperiowariver.org.
N-Compass Inc., $4,000. As organizer of Iowa Project AWARE, billed as Iowa’s largest river cleanup, N-Compass will use grant funds to rent equipment, purchase event supplies and support educational outreach for volunteers participating in a July cleanup on the Turkey and Little Turkey rivers in northeast Iowa.
Creekside Pride, $3,500. The organization will use the funds to purchase water testing kits to launch a volunteer monitoring program on Indian and Wanatee creeks in Marion. Results will be uploaded to the Clean Water Hub for public access. Testing will cover nitrates, chloride, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity and pH.
New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative Inc., $121. The funds will expand NewBoCo’s CoderDojo program to include environmentally focused station activities aimed at increasing student awareness of local water quality issues and encouraging interest in water quality testing.
The grants are supported by corporate sponsors including GreenState Credit Union, TrueNorth and New Leader Manufacturing, as well as round-up donations from travelers at the Eastern Iowa Airport.
