Members of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa’s (CFNEIA) youth philanthropy program, Teen Trust, hosted a grant awards celebration at CFNEIA on March 8. The group, consisting of 23 trustees and five student officers, all from Black Hawk County high schools, awarded $19,000 in grants to seven local nonprofits at the event. 

The nonprofits that received a grant, along with the project name and grant award amount, include: 

• Friends of the Family, Waterloo Luncheon in the Park, $3,000 

• GO Transportation, Accessible Youth Transportation, $3,000 

• House of Hope, Outreach Open Hour Programming, $3,000 

• Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Student Construction Opportunities, $3,000 

• Lutheran Services in Iowa, Trauma Informed Services for Detained Youth, $2,500 

• Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Cedar Valley School Market Program, $2,000 

• Riverview Center, Outreach to Protect Youth and Connect Services, $2,500 

The grant funds are available to 501(c)3 agencies addressing community needs in Black Hawk County and are within criteria that the trustees determine as priorities. The trustees work as a team to decide which organizations to assist through financial aid and/or volunteerism by using a grant application system, site visits and training seminars. This program illuminates the role in which students can be vital community contributors now, through hands-on education in giving back, as well as valuable leaders in the future. This group of students is led by a student director, a local college student who empowers and challenges high school students to address, identify and seek solutions to community needs while building a sense of social responsibility. 

The 2025-2026 Trustees are Ahan Tandon, Anna Hempel, Araceli Perez-Torres, Arjun Anugu, Brynn Bakula, Cael Harms, Daniel Umemezie, Diana Quinto, Dina Nazry, Elise Wing, Estelle Miller, Hunter Spitzer, Isabela Hafermann, Kaitlynn Willis, Kate Pickar, Ken Kane, Kenzie Devine, Kevin Du, Kirsten Grant, Lydia Rusley-Hanesford, Meghana Kota, Riley Castro and Rishika Shettigar. Trustee officers were James Peng, Ryan Herink, Dean Hempel, Mae Martin and Diva Dodiya. Lauren Johnson, a student at the University of Northern Iowa, is the 2025-2026 director. 

“Watching the teens work through this process is always inspiring,” said Sherita Jenkins, director of community impact with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. “They take the responsibility seriously, ask thoughtful questions, and really care about making good decisions for our community. It’s exciting to see young people step into that role.” 

The Teen Trust program is accepting applications from Black Hawk County high school students through May 15 to serve on Teen Trust for the 2026-2027 season. More information and the online application are at www.cfneia.org/teentrust. 

Questions regarding the Teen Trust program can be directed to Sherita Jenkins at sjenkins@cfneia.org or 319-243-1365.