INITIATIVES

Ignite Vitality through Workforce Housing

Housing is foundational and intersectional. When you have a supply-side failure in your community, unaffordable or unattainable housing has a cascading impact on the economics, education, and health of our neighbors and children.

That’s why the Community Foundation is reimagining housing development in our community alongside our collaborative partners, utilizing innovative technology such as 3D home printing.

Replacing the Mulberry Health Clinic Building

The Community Foundation, Muscatine Health Support Fund, and UnityPoint Health - Trinity Muscatine are collaborating on rural health access equity in Muscatine County by replacing the Mulberry Health Clinic building.

The new facility will initially offer Pediatrics, Gynecology, Family Medicine, Surgery, and Internal Medicine. The clinic’s footprint will be expanded from 30,000 square feet to 42,000 square feet, allowing for future expansion which includes multi-use space for services like telehealth, primary care, behavioral health and community health.

Click here to financially support the $20 million project and have your donation matched by KENT Corporation.

Thank you for your support!

Collaborating to Create Multi-Generational Success for Hungry Children and Families

Often, we treat emergent issues, in this case hungry children, without disrupting the root cause. That ends with Fueling the Future. Fueling the Future targets adults in low-income families of elementary-aged children receiving weekend “backpack” food subsidies in Muscatine County and engages them in a six-week intensive “earn while you learn” upskill training.

This multi-stepped pilot provides stabilization of emergent family issues, education for the custodial adults in high demand jobs, long-term advancement of skilled workers in the community, and a stronger next-generation Iowa workforce.

The program’s ultimate goal is to reduce barriers faced by low income families to enable custodial parents to achieve non-credit postsecondary credentials and high-demand jobs through interconnected stabilization, barrier reduction, education, and workforce efforts.

Advancing Racial Justice, Equity, and Inclusion

Our mission is to improve the quality of life in Muscatine County and one of our five core values that drives our work is fostering a deep respect for all people across the community. The Racial Justice Fund serves as a catalyst by deepening conversations, engaging bold ideas in eliminating racial disparities, and expanding learning platforms to collectively build proximity and center the voices of those often overlooked. The work done today will strengthen lives and better our tomorrow.

Community members, businesses, organizations, and churches interested in changing lives and being part of the solution may donate to this fund and have their dollars granted to qualified, charitable organizations whose work acts as an accelerator to reduce barriers towards achieving racial justice and is centered on uplifting the most marginalized in our service area.

To ensure we move forward collectively, and address a broad range of opportunities, priority will be given to:

• Programs and projects that are collaborative across a networked alliance

• Programs and projects that connect multiple issues or communities

• Applicant organization/networks who are led by people of color

Pictured: West Liberty Youth Dream Catchers Summer Learning Trip funded by a Racial Justice Grant