SOUTHWEST IOWA
EMERGENCY RELIEF

Our southwest Iowa communities, as well as our neighbors in eastern Nebraska, are coping with heartbreaking loss and destruction caused by tornadoes, storms and flooding, which started on April 26, 2024, and continue to wreak havoc in our region.

The Community Foundation for Western Iowa is here to support our southwest Iowa communities in gathering donations through the Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund. Donations to the fund will support Iowa nonprofit partners, communities, disaster relief organizations, and public health organizations who are on the front line of disaster relief efforts.

Iowa West Foundation to Match Donations up to $50,000

(May 3, 2024)  The Community Foundation for Western Iowa is pleased to announce that the Iowa West Foundation has generously committed a 1-to-1 match of $50,000 for donations made to the Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund. The fund at the Community Foundation for Western Iowa is a philanthropic response to the increasing needs throughout Pottawattamie County due to the catastrophic tornadoes that tore through the region on April 26. Iowa West matching funds will provide relief to individuals impacted in Pottawattamie County. Read more.

apply for funding from the relief fund

The Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund will provide funding to organizations and services primarily in Pottawattamie County that are filling basic human needs, rebuilding communities, and providing direct support to individuals and families.

Nonprofit organizations, city and county governmental organizations, and church groups that are on the frontline of relief efforts and working with the communities affected are encouraged to APPLY HERE.

LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEER AND DONATION NEEDS

SHARE Iowa – an initiative of the Community Foundation – is a resource to access information on how you can assist our communities through relief efforts, such as volunteer opportunities and in-kind donations. The Community Foundation and SHARE Iowa team continues to work directly with Pottawattamie County Emergency Management and Pottawattamie County officials on approved volunteer opportunities and donation needs.

The Relief Resource website will be updated regularly.

Follow SHARE Iowa on Facebook for updates. 

RESIDENTS CREATE the minden, iowa community fund

The city of Minden, Iowa suffered catastrophic damage and loss from the April 26 tornadoes. As a response to the devastation, Minden residents created a fund this week at the Community Foundation to support efforts specifically for their community. 

The Minden Iowa Community Fund will support clean-up, rebuilding efforts, and future community betterment projects in Minden, Iowa. To support the fund with an online donation, please click here.

Monetary donations of cash or check can also be made at Midstates Bank in Neola or Minden. Please note "Minden Relief Fund" in the memo line. A special thank you to Midstates Bank for your philanthropic response during this devastating time in our southwest Iowa communities.