Community Foundation Celebrates 10 Years of Giving and Growing

The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque celebrated ten years of giving and growing community philanthropy with its donors, funders, nonprofit leaders, and community advocates at its tenth annual donor luncheon and grant awards presentation on October 4 at the Dubuque Golf and Country Club.

The event included a video collage with stories from the network of individuals, couples, families, circles, boards, and communities that comprise the foundation and its reach into Northeast Iowa.

Foundation President and CEO Nancy Van Milligen told attendees, “When Dubuque leaders established the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque in 2002, they envisioned an organization that would provide community leadership, support nonprofits through grants as well as help donors give meaningfully to their communities. That vision became a reality thanks to our four founding partners: Diamond Jo Casino, Medical Associates, Dubuque Bank & Trust and American Trust & Savings Bank. These local organizations invested a total of $750,000 in this new philanthropic venture. Ten years later, the Community Foundation’s assets have grown to more than $31 million and in 2011, grants to nonprofits from the Community Foundation and our donors totaled $3.8 million. We are celebrating stronger communities through that amazing return on investment.”

Endowed gifts to Community Foundations are eligible for Endow Iowa, the 25% state tax credit, and the foundation holds more than 130 nonprofit endowments for Dubuque, Clayton, Allamakee, and Delaware Counties.

Van Milligen unveiled the foundation’s three strategic focus areas including Strong Nonprofits, Thriving Families and a Vibrant Culture while Community Foundation Board President Phil Ruppel announced over $35K in Community Impact grants to support those same strategic areas, including:

Circles Initiative - $5,000 (Thriving Families / Strong Nonprofits)

A program of Project Hope, Circles Initiative addresses poverty at all levels, with supports like education and training. This grant builds the number of volunteers and providers who are engaged in the Circles Initiative to help our community’s most vulnerable families towards self-sufficiency.

Dubuque Community School District Foundation - $7,888 (Thriving Families)

In alignment with Dubuque’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, this project will support an attendance improvement initiative that helps children (and families) that are experiencing chronic school absence, by providing tools and teachings to eliminate barriers to attending school.

Dubuque Mentoring Partnership - $2,118 (Thriving Families / Strong Nonprofits)

This group of nonprofit organizations, that improve the lives of local youth through quality mentoring relationships, will launch a coordinated process and campaign to engage 250 new mentors.  Every Child/Every Promise working in strategic alliance with the Community Foundation supports the Dubuque Mentoring Partnership.

Opportunity Dubuque - $6000 (Thriving Families)

This project will support need-based student support for adult literacy and GED classes for participants in two Project HOPE strategic priorities; Opportunity Dubuque- which provides a clear pathway thru training to jobs for unemployed and underemployed people and the Dubuque Success Center which re-engages high school drop outs back into education and training that leads to employment.

St. Mark Community Center - $14,646 (Thriving Families / Strong Nonprofits)

St. Mark Community Center will lead the development of a coordinated research-based Summer Learning program that will work with disadvantaged students to decrease summer learning loss among K-3rd graders.  This project aligns with the Dubuque Campaign for Grade Level Reading’s plan to improve 3rd grade reading achievement.