The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa (CFNEIA) celebrated the power of community giving at its Black Hawk County First Cycle Grant awards event, announcing $470,375 in grants to 24 local nonprofits.

“These grants reflect the generosity of our community and the incredible work of nonprofits dedicated to strengthening Black Hawk County,” said Kaye Englin, CFNEIA president and CEO. “From expanding opportunity to delivering vital services, these organizations are making a real difference across the Cedar Valley. We’re proud to support their impact and the future they’re helping to build.”

The grant award information below is categorized by CFNEIA’s impact priority areas of: Opportunity and Access, Health and Safety, Vibrant Communities and Youth Empowerment. Each line includes the grant recipient organization name, what the grant will fund and the grant amount.

Black Hawk County 2026 First Cycle Grant Recipients

Opportunity and Access

• 24/7 BLAC, General Operating Support, $18,000
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Programming for Immigration Legal Services, $18,000
• GO Transportation, General Operating Support, $15,000
• Hawkeye Community College Foundation, WE Build Waterloo, $15,000
• Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, General Operating Support, $25,000
• North Star Community Services, General Operating Support, $18,000
• Northeast Iowa Workforce Development, Board Programming/Materials – Traveling Accessibility Kits for Workforce Events, $5,345
• One City United, General Operating Support, $25,000
• Operation Threshold, OT Refugee Services, $20,000
• The River Arc, General Operating Support, $20,000

Health and Safety

• Four Oaks Children and Family Services, Black Hawk County Foster Care Services, $10,000
• Friends of the Family, Black Hawk County Housing Services, $25,000
• Northeast Iowa Food Bank, General Operating Support, $60,000
• Salvation Army, General Operating Support, $50,000
• SuccessLink, Together For Youth (TFY) General Operating Support, $20,000.00

Vibrant Communities

• La Porte City Public Library, Library Renovation Project (Capital), $15,000
• Link Christian Development, Walnut Neighborhood Playground Park, $15,000
• Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley, General Operating Support, $18,000
• Waterloo Municipal Band, A Century of Sound: Honoring 100 Years of Music and Community in Waterloo, $5,000
• wcfsymphony, General Operating Support, $10,000

Youth Empowerment

• Back2Basics, Inc, General Operating Support, $15,000
• Family YMCA of Black Hawk County, General Operating Support, $15,000
• Try Pie, General Operating Support, $15,000
• Youth Art Team, General Operating Support, $18,000

Black Hawk County First Cycle Grants are awarded through CFNEIA’s competitive grant process, determined by the Black Hawk County grant distribution committee. Members are: Nadene Davidson, Kaye Englin (President & CEO), Andrew Finnegan, Zachary Fischels, Sarah Helleso, Mary Janssen, Ashlyn Jungwirth, Chawne Paige (Committee Chair), Shantavia Parker, Mike Robinson and Hector Salamanca-Arroyo.

The 2026 Black Hawk County Second Cycle Grants application opens May 15, 2026. Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and government entities serving Black Hawk County. Grant guidelines and applications will be available at www.cfneia.org/grants. For questions or to discuss a project’s eligibility, contact Sherita Jenkins, director of community impact, at 319-243-1355 or sjenkins@cfneia.org.