Standing with our Nonprofit Partners

For nearly 70 years, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa has proudly partnered with nonprofits that are the lifeblood of our vibrant, healthy communities. These organizations make our region a place where people want to live, work, and play. They provide essential services to those who need them most, often when there is nowhere else to turn. Their deep care for those they serve and the richness of their diverse programming are what make our communities thrive.

As a partner in creating strong communities where everyone can thrive, we are closely monitoring executive orders that seek to freeze federal grants, loans, and other funding. I think for most of us, its hard to understand the potential financial (and human) risk of nonprofits losing government grants. According to the Urban Institute, 62% of Iowa Nonprofits have a federal contract component - $1.3 Billion in statewide federal grants, and in Black Hawk County $69 million in federal grants, and throughout our 20-county region over $140 million in federal grants based on this data. It’s evident that it would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) for private funding to sustain nonprofits by covering this gap. These financial shortfalls put nonprofits at risk, which could lead to fewer or no programs for people, who in many instances rely on these services.

While we cannot predict how events will continue to unfold, the Community Foundation is steadfast in our commitment to stand with our nonprofits and will seek responsive solutions as potential new needs arise, and advocate for federal funding to resume and continue.

Our mission of enriching our communities is fulfilled by supporting and strengthening our nonprofit partners. Funding cuts would be detrimental to nonprofit organizations and have a profoundly negative ripple effect on our communities, especially affecting our most vulnerable populations.

We believe in the power of partnership. Supporting nonprofits today is crucial to maintaining the places we call home. The Community Foundation has always stood, and will continue to stand, with our nonprofit partners. Their varied missions share a common purpose: to create communities where all people thrive.

As someone who loves where they live and understands the vital role nonprofits play, I invite you to join us in standing with them. You are a catalyst for good. When we stay connected and work together, we remain strong. Now is our time to share our voice, make a charitable gift, volunteer and uplift your local nonprofits. Our communities are depending on all of us!

Thank you for your connection and for supporting local nonprofit organizations that make our vision of a vibrant region of thriving people a reality.

Kaye Englin, President & CEO

Source: Urban Institute, “What Is the Financial Risk to Nonprofits of Losing Government Grants?” Available at: urban.org

(Direct URL: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/what-financial-risk-nonprofits-losing-government-grants)

Join Women for Good! Empower Women and Girls.

Women for Good is a group of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa whose members pool their charitable resources and learn about philanthropy. Founded in 1999, Women for Good has granted over $200,000 to programs and projects impacting women and girls.

How It Works

Women for Good is a year-long membership with quarterly education opportunities. Over the course of the year, members can expect to learn about 10 different nonprofits that are serving women and girls in the Cedar Valley. Through membership fees and other generous donations to the Women’s Fund, this group of women grants out dollars to 3-4 nonprofits each year.

Nonprofit Grant Opportunities

Women for Good has an advisory committee that reviews grant applicants and evaluates them based on need.

Member Fees and Benefits

Annual membership dues are $150 and support the Women’s Fund, a permanent endowment fund held with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. $100 is tax-deductible and is also eligible for a 25% state tax credit. Benefits include:

Quarterly education events
2 after-hour member socials
Network with other women who are passionate about philanthropy
Connect with small and emerging nonprofits to learn about their work in the Cedar Valley
Learn more about getting involved at opportunities such as attending site visits or volunteer opportunities.

Become a Member

Questions? I’m Here to Help!

Sherita Jenkins, Director of Community Impact
319-243-1356 or Email

2023 Impact Report Leadership Letter

Dear Partners,

The power of partnerships lies at the heart of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa’s impact on communities and individuals. Throughout our 67-year history, we’ve recognized the transformative potential of collaboration with others. This past year has been one of growth - not only in our financial impact - but, more importantly, in how we define our leadership role across our region. We continue to examine our history, listen to our communities, and lean into developing even deeper connections. Through this understanding, we acknowledge and embrace that our influence extends far beyond traditional grantmaking.

Our evolution has allowed us to identify as more than a grant provider, but as a convener and leader in building stronger communities. Today, we are a catalyst for positive change, actively collaborating to dismantle barriers to equity, strengthening our connection with our affiliate foundations, and fostering more robust relationships with our nonprofit partners. However, we understand that our impact hinges not only on what we do, but how we do it.

Our values guide us, and we hold ourselves accountable using the framework of trust-based philanthropy. By taking these actions, we amplify our impact and the efforts of all those working to create opportunities for everyone to thrive. In 2023 alone, with the unwavering support and generosity of partners like you, CFNEIA granted $9 million to nonprofit organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our communities.

You move us forward. Everything we do is made possible by the philanthropic vision of our fundholders and donors. Our assets, now exceeding $160 million, allow us to carry out our commitment to community and create transformational change for generations to come. Thank you for your partnership in enriching the places you love. We are deeply grateful for the inspiration you provide, as together, we connect to create good that ripples across our region.

In Gratitude,

Kaye Englin, President & CEO

ReShonda Young, Board Chair

CFNEIA Welcomes Derek Kimball as Director of Charitable Impact

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa is excited to welcome Derek Kimball to our staff as the Director of Charitable Impact. Derek will focus on connecting people to the causes they care about most, in turn increasing the impact of the Community Foundation. His experience with the nonprofit community gives him knowledge of community needs and allows him to help identify philanthropic opportunities for those who want to give back to their community. Derek will primarily work with fundholders and donors in Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Franklin, Grundy, and Tama counties, and the Ackley community.

“I am very excited to be part of the incredible mission of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa," says Derek. "I truly believe in making our communities stronger, more equitable places, and I look forward to working with generous people who want to be part of enriching communities across Iowa.”

Derek joins CFNEIA after serving over five years as the Executive Director of Cedar Valley Angels, a nonprofit focused on the foster care community. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a teaching emphasis from the University of Northern Iowa. Derek lives in Waterloo with his wife, Kristen, and their five children.

Sherita Jenkins Joins Team as Director of Community Impact

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa is excited to announce that Sherita Jenkins has joined the organization as its Director of Community Impact!

Sherita brings over 15 years of nonprofit experience including extensive community and volunteer engagement. She most recently served as the Director of Community Volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Association, Iowa Chapter, and her resume also includes the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, and Horizons, a family service alliance in Cedar Rapids.

As Director of Community Impact, Sherita will oversee all grantmaking activities of the Foundation, with a focus on Black Hawk County, and will serve as a key leader in CFNEIA’s impact model in which asset development, grantmaking, and nonprofit relations are integrated to maximize our organization’s impact in our communities.

Sherita is a long-time resident of Cedar Rapids. She and her two young sons recently moved to Waterloo and are excited to dive into the community.

“I am incredibly excited to join the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa team and to be a resident of the Cedar Valley,” said Sherita. “I can’t wait to get to know my new community in-depth. I know the best way to do that is by having conversations with the people living and working here. As Director of Community Impact, I want to learn as much as possible to understand how the Foundation can partner to create the greatest impact.”

Please join us in welcoming Sherita to the CFNEIA team and our community!

Advocacy Alert: Act to Strengthen & Grow Iowa Charitable Programs

The Iowa House of Representatives unanimously passed House File 710 and is on its way to the Senate floor for debate. This bill includes positive increases and benefits to both Endow Iowa and the County Endowment Fund Program and grantmaking through accredited Iowa community foundations.

Share Your Voice: Help increase grant dollars for Iowa communities and keep Endow Iowa working for generous Iowans making an impact where they live.

Contact your local Senate representative to let them know the importance of these charitable programs and what they mean to you and your community. You can find contact information for your Senator here. Below you will find information from CFNEIA and the Iowa Council of Foundations to help you share your message of how the Endow Iowa 25% state tax credit has impacted your giving and your community.

We hope you will join us by sharing your voice and experience to create more charitable support for our communities through these two unique philanthropic programs.

CFNEIA Establishes New Values

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa exists to inspire people and connect resources to enrich our communities. While our work has been a catalyst for positive impacts since 1956, throughout our history we have evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of our region. Historic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a renewed focus on long-overlooked systemic inequities, provided an opportunity to not only take responsive action but to reflect on who we are and who we want to be.

Through self-examination, meaningful conversations, and authentic listening, we unearthed essential ideas to help lead our understanding, thinking, and actions. From these core beliefs, a new set of values was established to define who we are as an organization and to serve as a guide to fulfilling our mission for the people and places we serve.

Our Values

We believe the most innovative ideas for addressing the community’s challenges come from within the community.

We will develop deep connections with the communities we serve to create impacts leading to transformational change.

We believe everyone must have an equitable opportunity to thrive.

We will work to dismantle barriers to equity with an intentional focus on advancing racial equity to create an inclusive and just society for all people.

We believe we must boldly take the lead on important community issues.

We will ensure the resources entrusted to us support changemaking organizations and that we champion ideas and actions to make our communities better for all people.

We believe we have a responsibility to address the power dynamics and inequities present in philanthropy.

We will earn the trust of our community by taking actions rooted in authentic listening, clear communication, fiscal integrity and sustainability, and a commitment to transparency.

Moving forward, we intend every action we take to be an extension of our values. We know the challenges of the future can only be addressed when we embrace the lessons of the past. We embrace that bold action can only be taken when we first listen and learn. We understand that work toward an equitable society can only happen when we lead and follow with trust. As we evolve, we continue to expect more from ourselves as an organization and set increasingly higher standards.

You inspire us to do more for our communities and these values unite us in our work. Together, we are here for good.

Shanda Hansen Excited to Help Strengthen Local and Regional Impact

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa (CFNEIA) has announced that Shanda Hansen is joining the organization as the director of affiliate impact. Hansen will serve as CFNEIA’s first director of affiliate impact, a new position that will work to advance the organization’s community impact model by engaging volunteers and nonprofit organizations and leading grantmaking activities in CFNEIA’s affiliate community foundations across its 20-county region. Hansen most recently served as the community-based center director at Francis Lauer Youth Services, a program of YSS, in Mason City. Her first day with the Foundation was January 31.

“Shanda is a proven leader and has spent her entire professional career in the nonprofit community,” said Kaye Englin, president and CEO of CFNEIA. “Shanda brings expertise in community building and volunteer engagement and her role is critical to growing our impact across our affiliate region.”

Hansen holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from the Upper Iowa University. She lives in Rockwell, Iowa with her wife and two children.

“Joining the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and helping carry out their mission to enrich communities aligns not only with my professional experience but it is something I have aspired to do throughout my career,” said Hansen. “I am especially passionate about creating thriving rural communities and working to enhance our relationship with our affiliate community foundations will create local and regional impacts.”

Advancing Equity in the Cedar Valley is Focus of Nonprofit Convening Event

As a part of its ongoing effort to advance racial equity, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa served as a lead partner and co-creator of the Advancing Equity in the Cedar Valley convening event. Over 110 individuals representing more than 65 Cedar Valley organizations came together on September 13 to celebrate equity efforts and to have collaborative conversations leading to actions for equity in Waterloo and Cedar Falls. A second session was also held as part of the Cedar Valley Economic Inclusion Summit.

“We recognize that to move the needle forward and achieve equity, it takes us all coming together. A more equitable community is possible when people and communities move beyond obligatory inclusion to true cocreation, and that is what the events are all about,” said Dr. Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye, Associate Vice President of Growth and Community Engagement at Molina Healthcare, CFNEIA Board Member, and Chair of CFNEIA’s Racial Equity Advisory Committee.

The event brought leaders together to share equity initiatives and collectively continue developing a strategic action plan for Black Hawk County communities. Three areas of energy to advance equity were identified using input from the event sessions:

Mobilize and connect people, organizations, and resources to advance equity.
Remove barriers by creating opportunities for equitable access to resources and capital.
Support organizations and communities to develop equitable practices.

Lead partners joining the Community Foundation are Black Hawk County Public Health and Grow Cedar Valley.

More information on all of CFNEIA's work to advance racial equity can be found at cfneia.org/racialequity.

Community Foundation Week, Nov 12-18, Recognizes Local Community Impact

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa will celebrate Community Foundation Week, November 12-18, to recognize the increasingly important role that community foundations play in strengthening localities and addressing community needs.

For more than a century, community foundations have served as a trusted partner and resource for generous people, nonprofits, and communities. The effect of community foundations can be seen in the lives of millions and in the vibrant neighborhoods that continue to thrive through their mission-driven work. During Community Foundation Week, community foundations convene to share and reflect on the stories of impact from their recent work.

Established in 1956, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa serves a 20-county region with 23 affiliate community foundations led by over 350 local community volunteers. Since its inception, CFNEIA has granted over $114 million to organizations enriching the communities they serve and holds assets totaling over $143 million.

Community Foundation Week was created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush to recognize the work of community foundations throughout the U.S. and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private and nonprofit sectors to address community problems.

Community Foundation Week also coincides with National Philanthropy Day, November 15, which signifies the importance of coming together for the common good.

Visit the Council of Foundations' website to learn more about Community Foundation Week.