Community Foundation for Western Iowa

11/21/2025

The Community Foundation for Western Iowa is excited to once again offer a 20% match on endowment gifts in honor of Giving Tuesday 712 on December 2, 2025! 🎉

$100,000 is available on charitable gifts to endowment funds at the Community Foundation between Monday, November 24th and Friday, December 12 or until the pool is depleted. Match money is available up to $10,000 per donor!

How to Donate:
🟢 Donate to a nonprofit organization with an endowment at the Community Foundation through the SHARE Iowa platform: https://sharegoodiowa.org/endowmentfunds

🟢 Donate directly through our giving platform and choose from over 125 endowment funds: https://bit.ly/givewesterniowa-donate

🟢 Call us to make your gift over the phone (712-256-7007) and mention your intent for the 20% match!

A special thank you to this year's Giving Tuesday 712 sponsor, Katelman Steel Fabrication, for supporting a culture of philanthropy in our western Iowa region.

11/17/2025

📢 The Avoca, Iowa Holidays On Main is Saturday, November 29 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm!

The Community Foundation has been a proud supporter of Holidays on Main for years! This year, our Impact Grants committee awarded $1,000 to help the planning committee with event promotion and marketing! Annually, more than 500 people from Avoca and neighboring communities attend this FREE, fun, and family-friendly event! ❤️💚

Highlights for this year's "Gingerbread Kisses & Christmas Wishes" themed-event include:
- vendor craft fair 🎨✂️🧵
- ugly sweater 3K fun-run 👟
- gingerbread house competition 🏠
- pancake man supper 🥞
- live Nativity 🌟
- hay rack and trolley rides 🚜
- a petting zoo 🐑🦌
- hot cocoa ☕️
- tree lighting🎄
- Santa! 🎅🏻..and so much more!

🎥 Learn more about our Avoca Holidays on Main grant award: https://youtu.be/VNvEK21TfEA

11/14/2025

Congratulations to our friends at Trivium Life Services on 50 years of empowering individuals with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, chronic mental illness and brain injuries, and helping clients move toward independence.

Donna and Rachel were honored to attend their 50-year celebration last night to celebrate partnerships and people who have supported Trivium's journey. The Community Foundation for Western Iowa was nominated for and won an Empowerment Award honoring a foundation whose strategic philanthropy and unwavering commitment has expanded opportunities for Trivium's services. What a wonderful surprise! We are so thankful for the recognition and proud to support Trivium's great work in our region.

11/12/2025

Every year, National Community Foundation Week illuminates the vital role community foundations play in strengthening the places we call home. Community foundations are uniquely positioned to understand and respond to critical needs and issues facing communities, and serve as connectors, conveners, and catalysts for change.

Community members who are committed to improving our region trust the Community Foundation for Western Iowa to be deeply embedded in the fabric of our communities. 💚

We are your hometown partner in philanthropy, helping donors create lasting legacies through endowment funds and planned giving. We manage funds from individuals, families and businesses, and strategically invest those resources to support nonprofit organizations, address urgent needs, and foster long-term solutions for generations to come.

Give Where We Live Today! 🌱
www.givewesterniowa.org

11/11/2025

Today, the Community Foundation honors and celebrates our community members who have served and sacrificed for our nation. We thank you for your service!

We are honored to partner with the following programs and organizations to amplify their impact and mission for Veterans and their families:

◾️The Council Bluffs Veteran Banner Project was created in 2025 to support annual banners along Veterans Memorial Highway in Council Bluffs highlighting Veterans in our region.
-- https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=5905

◾️The Pottawattamie Veteran Affairs Fund was established in 2017 to support services for local Veterans -- past, present, and future. Additionally, the fund supports the sustainability of the Eagle of Honor Monument located in Council Bluffs.
-- https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=3143

11/05/2025

Congratulations to Rachel Morehead, Director of Marketing and Engagement at the Community Foundation, for graduating from the Nonprofit Executive Institute (NEI) yesterday!

NEI is a year-long leadership program offered by Nonprofit Association of the Midlands designed to offer nonprofit leaders skills and strategies to enhance organizational sustainability and transform the communities they serve.

We are truly grateful for Rachel‘s hard work, creative spirit, and drive to lead positive change and impact in our community. Rachel‘s commitment to nonprofit service is inspirational every day, and we look forward to the great things that lie ahead. Thank you, Rachel! 💚

11/03/2025

Thank you to Strictly Business Magazine Omaha for featuring Donna Dostal, our president and CEO, as a "River City Six" in this month's issue! 📰 Every month, Strictly Business highlights six local professionals or business leaders from various industries, and shares their work and business insights - congratulations, Donna!

Learn more about Donna and the Community Foundation for Western Iowa by reading the article below ⬇️

Tell us a little about your business. - At the Community Foundation (GiveWesternIowa.org), we work with people to create impact that means...

10/31/2025

Today, we are celebrating Halloween and the hiring of Sam Kruse, our new Community Engagement Manager!

In her role, Sam will build and strengthen relationships with nonprofits in western Iowa and will help to develop, create and implement content and communications to advance the mission of SHARE Iowa and the Community Foundation. 💜💚🩵 Sam brings extensive experience in nonprofit management, community engagement and event planning, having previously served as Outreach and Events Manager at the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands for six years.

Welcome, Sam! And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! 🎃👻

10/29/2025

What an event! Nearly 50 community and nonprofit leaders from our region joined us in Stanton tonight for our “Activate Your Community” event with Kiley Miller! We hope everyone left the conversation feeling excited and inspired for Giving Tuesday 712 on December 2!

10/17/2025

Join us for a special Giving Tuesday 712 kick-off event!

📅 Wednesday, October 29
🕓 4:00pm-6:00pm
📍 The Old Lumber Yard - Stanton, Iowa

Kiley Miller, Senior Data Center Services Specialist for Alliant Energy, will share his insights and experience on how Iowa communities have utilized their collective resources to implement amazing change projects.

✅ Learn practical strategies for community engagement
✅ Discover how to activate local partnerships and resources
✅ Connect with other nonprofit and community leaders from across the region

👉 Register for this FREE event today!! https://forms.gle/qUuK1frbnwxEfiMk8

10/16/2025

🌟 Happy Boss's Day to Donna! 🌟

Our team at the Community Foundation is incredibly grateful for your leadership, encouragement, ambition, tough decision making, and infectious positivity! Thank you for all you do for us and our region!! 💚

10/14/2025

It was a great day for networking through the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce's Coffee and Contacts! The Community Foundation was honored to host this morning's event and truly amazed at the crowd of over 50 attendees! Thank you for stopping by this morning! ☀️☕️