The College of Public Health and its Business Leadership Network (BLN) recently announced that five Iowa community organizations will be recipients of grant funding through the BLN’s Community Grant Program. See below for details about the projects funded in 2024 that will run from March 1 – December 31, 2024.

The organizations received grant awards of up to $3,000 to support public health-related initiatives and projects in their communities. The grant program also requires recipients to secure an equal cash or in-kind match from other community organizations or businesses.

Funding for the BLN Community Grant Program is provided by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

Clay County Public Health will provide education and cooking tools to individuals who frequent local food pantries. A dietitian will lead cooking demonstrations and provide healthy recipes using the foods acquired from the food pantry. Participants will receive education on food budgeting and will take home a cooking utensil that can be utilized in meal preparation.

Emmet County Public Health will provide food insecure residents with a three-day emergency food supply as well as information and referrals to other community resources to lead to future stability. Electric cooking skillets will be provided to those who have no means to heat their food.

Helping Services for Youth & Families will work to break down barriers surrounding mental health crisis by supporting and connecting communities in Howard County to resources and education. Several mental health trainings and resources such as The Green Bandana Project, QPR Trainings, Mental Health First Aid, and the Active Aging Expo will be provided to residents across the lifespan, from students to seniors.

Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development Area will create a print an online map of accessible museums, playgrounds, lakes, campgrounds, and trails throughout southeast Iowa to improve quality of life and increase participation for people of all abilities. The map will show amenities such as accessible bathrooms, accessible outdoor spaces, braille or large print, assistive listening, barrier-free entrances, and sensory-friendly hours or displays. The map will cover the counties of Marion, Mahaska, Keokuk, Washington, Louisa, Des Moines, Lee, Henry, Jefferson, Van Buren, Davis, Wapello, Monroe, Appanoose, Lucas, and Wayne.

Taylor County Public Health will create an infant formula bank across a twelve-county southwest Iowa service area to help families experiencing a financial crisis receive supplemental infant formula. This bank will also fill a need to assist families whose infants have special dietary needs and require more costly and hard to find specialty formulas. The participating counties are Adair, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Fremont, Lucas, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, and Wayne.

Learn more about the BLN Community Grant Program.

Learn more about the Business Leadership Network.