Keep Iowa Beautiful
February 2020 Newsletter
Keep Iowa Beautiful is Seeking New County and Community Partners
Kevin Techau
Want to Make a Difference in the Future of Your Hometown?
Keep Iowa Beautiful’s Hometown Pride program was developed to meet the need of Iowa communities for assistance in the implementation of community plans and visions. 

What is Hometown Pride? 
Bottomline: A program that brings community members together to improve their hometown. The program is built on community coaching to rural communities across Iowa. The coaching provides technical and financial source assistance, through trained coaches, to local residents, city councils, city clerks and managers to enhance and support the plans and visions for the future of the communities both culturally and economically. It builds a sense of pride and respect along with a sense of vitality and action. 

What Hometown Pride Does: 
  • Provide professional assistance through community coaching 
  • Furnish a toolkit of programs that can help the community 
  • Increase the effectiveness of local tools / programs 
  • Involve youth through service learning 
  • Build stronger more vibrant communities 
  • Support and grow investments in the local community foundation
  • Empower local citizens and provide needed skill training

Hometown Pride has proven it can enhance community cultural and economic vitality – strengthening the community and increasing its chance for not simply survival but growth with increased pride. The program walks alongside qualifying Iowa communities to provide technical and professional coaching assistance. The goal is to deliver a sense of stability and empowerment so that communities can implement sustainable plans and programs.

Interested? Want more details?
Contact KIB and arrange for a presentation on Hometown Pride program. Our staff will be happy to meet with your county economic development group, board of supervisors, community foundation or other responsible groups or individuals to discuss the program and provide complete details on how to apply.
Keep Iowa Beautiful Photography Contest Winners
Keep Iowa Beautiful (KIB) announced the winners of the 10 th  Keep Iowa Beautiful Photography Contest aimed at raising awareness of Iowa’s natural and environmental beauty. KIB wants to learn what resonates with Iowans based on the photographs they share through this annual photography contest.
First Place: Katharine Gail Vogel of Marshalltown
Adventure in Loess Hills
Katharine Gail Vogel Adventure in Loess Hills
Mark Iwig
Second Place: Mark Iwig of Johnston
Sunrise at Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge
Willard Sharp
Third Place: Willard Sharp of Madrid
The Milky Way and a Tractor
Derelict Building Grants
Application Deadline: February 20, 2020
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is now accepting applications for the 2020 Derelict Building Grant Program. The program promotes the reuse or recycling of building materials from dilapidated buildings in communities of 5,000 residents or less. The 2019 grant recipients were announced last May and included 13 awards from several thousand dollars up to $70,000. 

Financial assistance includes asbestos removal, building demolition/renovation and other environmental services. The application period will remain open through Feb. 20, 2020. A committee made up of representatives from the DNR, Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations, Iowa Recycling Association, Iowa Economic Development Authority and Keep Iowa Beautiful will review the grant applications and select the 2020 grant recipients. For more information, check out the DNR website.
2020 Paint Iowa Beautiful Program
Application Deadline: February 14, 2020
Paint Iowa Beautiful
Keep Iowa Beautiful and Diamond Vogel Paint are announcing the 2020 Paint Iowa Beautiful program. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa.  

“The seventeen-year partnership with Keep Iowa Beautiful allows Diamond Vogel to assist and work with the many local volunteers and organizations that help build stronger Iowa communities.” said Doug Vogel, Vice-President of Marketing, of the Iowa based company. “This is a great opportunity for many Iowans to improve the attractiveness and beauty of their community.”

“Keep Iowa Beautiful’s partnership with Diamond Vogel Paint has helped improve over 990 community projects in Iowa,” said Kevin Techau, Keep Iowa Beautiful Executive Director. “We appreciate Diamond Vogel’s generous contribution of 11,330 gallons of paint over the years a commitment to improving and enhancing the appearance of our communities.”
Win a Build with Bags Grant!
Application Deadline: March 30, 2020
Build with Bags
The Build with Bags program is a cooperative effort of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Keep Iowa Beautiful, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Metro Waste Authority and Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls. The primary goal of Build with Bags is to tackle an environmental concern that has been receiving a great deal of attention – the use of plastic shopping bags. To address this issue, the Build with Bags program has defined four primary goals:
  • Reduce the consumption of plastic bags
  • Encourage the use of reusable bags
  • Increase the number of plastic bags recycled
  • Establish a grant program to aid parks and schools in purchasing products made of recycled plastic bags

Grant Eligibility
The grant program is available to any governmental entity, organization (i.e. service clubs, non-profit organizations) within Iowa that purchase the items for a park or school. The items must be made of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic (the base material for making plastic shopping bags). Those receiving grant awards must acquire the items and then show proof of purchase and payment before receiving reimbursement of the award.

Grant Limits
A maximum grant of $2,000 is available. Each entity applying for a grant is limited to one application or project per year.
KEEP IOWA BEAUTIFUL
2910 Westown Parkway, Suite 302 | West Des Moines, IA 50266