December 2, 2021
Des Moines, IA — The Wellmark Foundation has provided 29 Iowa organizations with their Small Matching Assets to Community Health (MATCH) grant awards. These organizations were notified in August of their pending awards and had 12 weeks to secure the required matching funds. Small MATCH grant recipients were able to use a combination of in-kind donations, services, and cash in order to receive their award from The Wellmark Foundation. All the funded projects will help individuals, families and communities achieve better health through built environment initiatives that encourage physical activity or access to and consumption of nutritious foods.
"The Wellmark Foundation is proud to award a total of $674,664 to these 29 Iowa organizations," said Mary Lawyer, The Wellmark Foundation executive director. "The projects these organizations are implementing will enhance the quality of life and the overall well-being of citizens in their communities for several generations."
Since its inception in 1991, The Wellmark Foundation has provided more than $39 million in grant funding to communities across Iowa and South Dakota.
The 29 Iowa organizations awarded a Wellmark Foundation 2021 Small MATCH grant include:
Catherine McAuley Center, $25,000
Improving food security and building healthy eating, Cedar Rapids
City of St. Charles, $25,000
Basketball and Pickleball Court
City of Cedar Rapids, $25,000
Playground at Bever Park
City of Tipton, $25,000
4th Street Plaza Pocket Park
City of Dallas Center, $23,027
Accessible Pathways Project
Des Moines Area MPO, $24,575
MPO Permanent Trail Counter Program
City of DeWitt, $25,000
Outdoor Pickleball Courts
Diagonal Community Development Corporation, $25,000
Diagonal Walkable Community Initiative
City of Epworth, $25,000
Splash Pad
FoodCorps Iowa, $22,000
Connecting Kids in Des Moines to Healthy Food in Schools
City of Keota, $25,000
Municipal Pool Replacement Project
Forest Avenue Outreach, $15,062
Community Orchard & Garden – Accessible Entrance & Outdoor Classroom, Des Moines
City of Lansing, $25,000
Lansing Trails Expansion & Promotion Project
Glenwood Rams Parent Teacher Association, $25,000
NE Elementary Inclusive Playground Project
City of Madrid, $10,000
Edgewood Park — Toddler Expansion
Mahaska FutureView, $25,000
Edmundson Playground Project
City of Manson, $25,000
Manson Youth Sports Complex
Metro High School, $25,000
STEAM Grown Education, Cedar Rapids
City of Mason City, $25,000
Willow Creek Riverwalk
North Cedar Community School District, $25,000
Mechanicsville Memorial Walking Trail
City of Pocahontas, $25,000
Elbert Park Improvement Project — Phase II
River Bend Food Bank, $25,000
Expanding to Shrink the Gap, Davenport
City of Polk City, $25,000
Lost Lakes Park — Phase II Development
The Fairfield Parks and Recreation Foundation of Jefferson County, Iowa, $25,000
The Fairfield Loop Trail Surface Upgrade
City of Preston, $25,000
Westside Park Obstacle & Fitness Course
University of Northern Iowa Foundation, $5,000
A Garden in Every Lot, Cedar Falls and Waterloo
City of Sloan, $25,000
City Park Trail Head
Wesley Retirement Services Inc., $25,000
Halcyon House Pickleball & Community Garden Project, Washington
Winneshiek County Conservation Board, $25,000
Dry Run Trail — Decorah to the Greenbelt
Learn more about these projects.
