The Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce awards totaling $164,240 to Cycle 37 Bright Ideas Community Enrichment Fund grant recipients, $11,214 awarded to six local nonprofits to help assist with youth development through our Legacy Youth Alliance, and $21,000 from the McCune Endowment to help provide free or low-cost health care. Recent grant money awarded will help nonprofits improve public safety, community development and vitality, arts, and culture, healthcare, and education. At the Legacy Foundation, we are excited to watch our nonprofits continue to grow and help improve many aspects of the community.

Since the first Bright Ideas Community Enrichment Fund grant cycle in 2011, the Bright Ideas Community Enrichment Fund has awarded $5,328,179 to 119 nonprofit organizations that serve Wapello County. The most recent Wapello County nonprofit organizations to receive BICEF grants are:

• American Home Finding Association to assist with the Agency Shelter and Corinthians House Recreation Center improvements.
• Eldon Uptown/Downtown for Flagpole replacement at the Eldon Avenue of Flags.
• Food Bank of Iowa to assist with ADA renovations at the Ottumwa Distribution Center.
• Greater Ottumwa Vocal Arts Project, Inc to assist with costs associated with the Bilingual Children’s Production of Don Quixote.
• Indian Hills Community College Development Corporation to purchase Warrior EDGE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion material for staff.
• Iowa Legal Aid to assist with the Wapello County Housing Stability Project.
• Ottumwa Area Arts Council to expand public art mural opportunities in the community.
• Ottumwa High School Music Boosters, Inc to assist with instruments and equipment for the Ottumwa Vocal Music Program.
• Ottumwa Park & Recreation Foundation, Inc to assist with new playground equipment in Ottumwa Park.
• Ottumwa Public Library Friends, Inc for their Microfilm Digitization Project to make past news articles accessible in digital form.
• Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra to expand their school tours program to educate young students on instruments.

The Robert F. McCune Endowment was created to carry on the same tradition of compassion embodied by its namesake Robert McCune. The Robert F. McCune Endowment is a restricted endowment consisting of a single unified fund of resources where the investment income is dispersed to assist the cancer patients, facilities, and programs of the City of Ottumwa and Wapello County. Two awards were made, totaling $21,000 for the following project:

• Good Samaritan Hospice for a bereavement support group.
• Hospice Serving Wapello & Davis to replace an essential generator.

The Legacy Youth Alliance awarded six grants totaling $11,214 in their Fall 2023 grant cycle. Legacy Youth Alliance members live in Wapello County and attend Cardinal, EBF, Pekin, and Ottumwa High Schools. All grant proposals submitted to the Legacy Youth Alliance must be for a youth-led project or a youth-serving program. Funding priorities of the Legacy Youth Alliance are impactful projects that address literacy, reading proficiency, post-secondary education, and physical, mental, or social wellness. The organizations and projects funded are:

• Indian Hills Community College Development Corp for the Ottumwa High School College and Career Transition Counselors Room.
• Ottumwa Community School Foundation/Ottumwa High School Student Council to purchase period products that will be available for all students.
• Ottumwa Community School Foundation/Stomp Out Stigma to support Teen Mental Health First Aid Student Training Program Collaboration with Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont School District, Cardinal Community School District, and Ottumwa Community School District.
• Pekin Community School District to assist with the Panther’s FIRST Robotics Team Lodging at State Competition.
• Pekin Community School for robots for their 7^th-12^th grade robotics team students.
• Wapello Family Treatment Court Foundation for their Christmas Celebration for Family Treatment Court families.

At the Ottumwa Legacy Foundation, we recognize and embrace the critical role that we can play in the community as a catalyst for positive change. We are doing this by initiating and advancing promising ideas, making grants, convening conversations, promoting collaboration, providing sound information, and celebrating success.

We are always looking to support new and innovative ideas and efforts that can have measurable impacts on the residents and communities in Wapello County. We highly encourage all local nonprofits to submit applications to Bright Ideas Community Enrichment Fund, Legacy Youth Alliance, and McCune Endowment.  The next online Bright Ideas application cycle opens on February 1^st ,2024; the next Legacy Youth Alliance application cycle opens January 1^st, 2024; McCune Endowment accepts applications at any time. Head to our website www.ottumwalegacy.org to view all grants available.