Iowa Council of Foundations

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

The Iowa Council of Foundations team is preparing to host our Connect Conference virtually for the first time this year. There are lots of new things to think about as we pull our plans together. We have been planning and hosting virtual events for many years, and in many new ways the past five months. Additionally, I had the opportunity to participate in the United Philanthropy Forum’s Annual Conference virtually last month. I learned a lot during my participation that will help inform our program, and I can also say there were several aspects of  learning that I found beneficial in a virtual format. Here are some of the key benefits to virtual learning:

• Listening. I found that listening to a speaker virtually challenged me to be more actively engaged as a listener than I might be if I were attending in-person.  If you set the conditions for your learning, there can be fewer distractions learning remotely than in a large conference room. A few things I found helpful for creating a good learning environment for myself included silencing my cell phone, turning off my email, having a full cup of coffee or water at my desk, and having a pen and paper ready to take notes.
• Questions. The ability to ask questions via a chat box function in some ways makes it easier to ask questions of presenters. You don’t have to raise your hand or speak in front of the full group. This is a helpful way for people to raise questions – even those who are not typically comfortable doing this at an in-person meeting.
• Interaction. Those of us who have been living on Zoom the past few months know that the key to success for online learning is interaction. We are working with our Connect speakers to be sure there are interactive elements to their presentations. Because of this, you can expect to interact with the speakers and content in new ways that may not always be possible at an in-person convening (polling, small group breakouts, etc.).

All in all, I enjoyed my participation in a virtual conference and we hope you will join us for the virtual Connect Conference next month. Our team is using what we have learned to make this a positive and informative learning experience for you. You can learn more and register here! (link outdated)

Dave Daughton, Wayne Community Foundation Board Member

I serve in a couple of volunteer roles in my community—both on the Wayne Community Foundation and the Wayne County Housing Committee (WCHC). The latter is comprised of a small group of volunteers that have been working to develop housing opportunities in our Wayne County community for a number of years. We look at the entirety of Wayne County as our “community”, and feel that we all must work together to make things happen.

The work of the committee began to evolve when a major employer in the area, East Penn Manufacturing, announced and started construction on a large expansion that would bring 200+ additional jobs to the community. The WCHC felt that something more concrete was needed for the housing plan and solicited funds from community businesses, entities, and individuals to fund a comprehensive housing study.

The end result of the study was a multifaceted plan to develop housing in the community because they had identified the influx of new jobs, and also current commuters into the community would further exacerbate the lack of available housing. Re-purposing abandoned properties, a down-payment assistance program, and a delinquent tax property plan were three parts of the overall plan, along with the establishment of a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). The RLF will help incentive developers both large and small to come to Wayne County and build, renovate and develop housing units for our workforce. The RLF can work in a number of ways, but the general premise is that developers would apply for construction-type loans, use the funds as collateral or operating dollars, develop the housing, and then pay back the loans at a very small interest rate, and/or with a reduction of the principal to be repaid.

To support the new housing plan, the WCHC decided to apply for a Rural Revitalization Grant through IEDA in the realm of Investing in Rural Iowa. The application was for a $20,000 grant, with a 1:1/2 match requirement. The committee collaborated with the Wayne Community Foundation to provide the $10,000 match for the application. The WCF is affiliated with the South Central Iowa Community Foundation. The WCF has been very active in the Wayne County community in philanthropic efforts over the years, and has committed funds toward developing housing in the past. WCF President Jared Chambers recently stated that “This is the type of project that community foundations were made for. We are very happy to assist the housing committee and hope that this grant will be just the start to a lot of great housing growth in Wayne County.”

This collaborative effort with the Wayne Community Foundation and the WCHC is important for the continued growth in our community. Working together to address community needs, like housing, will only make our County better!

*Following the writing of this blog, the WCHC received notification that they did not receive a Rural Revitalization Grant, but they will continue to address the identified housing needs in their community.

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

As participating counties anticipate the receipt of their County Endowment Fund Program dollars at the end of summer, it is important to note that these funds will be less than in previous years. With casinos being closed for several months due to the pandemic, state receipts from gaming tax revenue have declined, which will directly result in a decrease in CEFP dollars available for 2020-2021. As your boards and advisory committees consider how this may impact your grantmaking, there are resources to support your conversations. I encourage you to review the following Iowa Community Foundations Initiative resources and use them to make strategic decisions about how your organization can best support your communities now and in the coming weeks and months.

• The Guide to Effective Grantmaking outlines steps you can take to simplify and streamline your process this year. This is needed now, more than ever, as nonprofits on the front lines are overwhelmed with increased demand for services and having to adjust their service delivery models. Consider how you can simplify their process to support them and to make things easier on yourselves too.
• The Ten Ways to Strategically Invest Your CEFP Dollars Webinar Recording offers some strategies to make the most out of your grant dollars. This will be critically important this year, as you have fewer resources.
• The Disaster Philanthropy Toolkit provides specific information about how best to support communities and organizations that have been impacted by a disaster. As a result of the pandemic and economic downturn, we are all feeling these impacts in different ways. Consider how you can adjust your processes to meet the needs of your nonprofit partners and the communities facing unprecedented challenges.

We will continue to provide virtual opportunities for you to connect with your peers from across the state through Peer-Learning Calls, the Annual Connect Community Foundations Conference, and additional webinar conversations. You can learn more on our Events Page and in upcoming issues of the CF Snapshot. If there are specific tools or resources that you are seeking, please remember you can always submit a colleague inquiry.  Please let us know how we can best support you as we move forward – together. 

Charla Schafer, Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine

When we think of heroes, we often think of celebrities or those faced with a split-second decision that saves a life; but that view is quite myopic. And, the fallacy of this restrictive perspective has become increasingly obvious in the past few weeks. We have seen our community, Muscatine County, displaying countless heroic efforts every moment of every day. Heroism by our neighbors for our neighbors.

The outcome of disruption is growth and the illumination of the stark goodness that exists. This goodness is displayed through our friends and neighbors’ actions in both quiet and visible ways. We have seen these examples:

• Local health care providers working around the clock to manage the changing demands that are happening and ensuring those in our community get the care they need
• Wilton Café and Jeff’s Market in Wilton and West Liberty providing food for children that would be without, because school is where they eat. These businesses don’t know what this economic disruption will do to their livelihood, but they chose to selflessly help their neighbors.
• 30+ non-profits and area leaders coming together to discuss changing needs and ways to collaborate.
• Non-Emergency Transport providing free delivery to ensure the homebound can get their medical and other needs met.
• Muscatine Community College leadership locating extended housing for displaced students in a matter of hours.
• Muscatine and Louisa-Muscatine school officials planning meal distribution for area children in need.
• People generously opening their pocketbooks to ensure helping agencies can handle the increasing demand of need.
• Grocery workers, volunteers, and truckers working around the clock to meet demands.
• Childcare providers taking children so parents can work when they would rather shut their doors.
• Muscatine Power and Water extending grace in policies that will keep our neighbors lights glowing bright during troubling financial changes.
• People displaying patience and understanding for the shifting decisions being made, knowing local leaders are tasked with immeasurable consequences as they balance individual and community needs in a shifting, untested landscape.

And, the list goes on and on.

Heroes – each of them. Heroes – each of you. When we think of the greater good, when we think of others and not ourselves – that is heroism. And, I am proud to say, we just have to glance about, and we see it everywhere. It is there every day.

This too, our community will marshal past. But I am confident we will look backward and forward with pride as we reflect on those, we call our neighbors. Thanks to all for showing your humanity in untold ways. For that, we are grateful.

This blog was excerpted from Charla’s post in Discover Muscatine—to read the full article, please click here.

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

In this uncertain and unprecedented time, I am working hard to find the silver linings of this moment. When challenging circumstances seem overwhelming, I turn my mind toward the powerful and positive response efforts happening throughout Iowa. Since mid-March, we have been tracking the COVID-19 response funds opened by our member organizations and to-date, there are over 20 funds that have been established, by host, standalone and affiliate community foundations. Whats more, is many of these funds have launched in partnership with other funders – private and corporate foundations, United Ways, and in some cases, even local governments. It is truly inspiring to see the innovative and swift response from our Iowa Community Foundations network.

At the Iowa Council of Foundations, we are utilizing our network strengths to provide ongoing supports.

• We are pulling together regular webinars/check-in calls so funders can share their response efforts and learn from others. You can join an upcoming call by registering here.
• We are working with partners to provide learning opportunities, such as the webinar we hosted last week in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines titled, Understanding State and Federal Assistance Programs for Nonprofits. You can access the recording here.
• We are providing resources, templates and tools on our COVID-19 Resources Page.
• We are fielding questions and connecting network members with their peers across the state to lift up best practices and help facilitate peer-learning.

Please let us know if there are ways we can be helpful to you and your organization. We are here to support you.