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Cedar Falls Community Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Community foundation

Cedar Falls Community Foundation

The CEDAR FALLS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION inspires and connects individuals, families, and organizations to enhance our community, support non-profits, elevate educational opportunities, and build legacies through philanthropy.

$331k
Granted FY2025still arriving
5
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$145k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$1.7MCommunity Improvement$288kRecreation & Sports$230kArts & Culture$176kPublic Benefit$63kHuman Services$49kHealth$35kPhilanthropy$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 5 grants below total $235,188, the rows itemized in this filing. The $330,702 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $95,514 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $14k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $25k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $196k
$25,080
Median grant
1
States reached
$10M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CITY OF CEDAR FALLS$144,500
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA FOUNDATION$51,250
CITY OF CEDAR FALLS$25,080
COMMUNITY MAIN STREET INC$8,358
HELEN HANSEN ELEMENTARY PTA$6,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY21–24, $39k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%EXCEPTIONAL PERSONS INC: $21k → 17%CHILD CARE RESOURCE & REFERRAL OF NORTHEAST IOWA: $10k → 17%CHILD CARE RESOURCE & REFERRAL OF NORTHEAST IOWA: $8k → 17%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.4M · 8 repeat orgs$108k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +39% since the first grant, against -28% for those funded once.

8 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
9

Total granted

$2.4M
$102k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+39%
-28%

Still filing today

88%
78%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationCommunity ImprovementHealthArts & CultureHuman ServicesPhilanthropyOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA FOUNDATION
    7× · 2017–2025 · $394k · revenue +43%
  • CM
    COMMUNITY MAIN STREET INC
    5× · 2019–2025 · $288k · revenue +39% · 40% of their budget
  • EP
    EXCEPTIONAL PERSONS INC
    3× · 2021–2024 · $39k · revenue +7%

Funded once

  • THE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $23k · revenue +63%
  • CF
    CEDAR FALLS PICKLEBALL CLUB
    one grant, 2023 · $13k
  • RC
    ROTARY CLUB OF CEDAR FALLS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2024 · $10k · revenue -69%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Cedar Falls Community Foundation

The cedar falls community foundation inspires and connects individuals, families, and organizations to enhance our community, support non-profits, elevate educational opportunities, and build legacies through philanthropy.

Philanthropy
2
Community Foundation for Western Iowa

The community foundation for western iowa is dedicated to creating a lasting legacy in our region by engaging our citizens and communities for durable change and fostering a culture of philanthropy. this is where giving grows.

Philanthropy
3
Cedar Rapids Community School District Foundation

Provide financial support to and promote excellence in cedar rapids public schools. through funding of projects and programs, the foundation works to enhance the educational experience of students in the public schools.

—
4
The Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District

The foundation for the iowa city community school district connects the community with our schools to ensure every student has extraordinary learning experiences. together we empower teachers and district staff and inspire students to…

—
5
Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

The greater cedar rapids community foundation (the community foundation) partners with donors, funders, and other community collaborators to achieve high-impact philanthropy, supports nonprofit organizations that address our community's…

Philanthropy
6
Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation

The foundation mobilizes resources and relationships that empower our library to deliver innovative programs and services.

Education
7
Central Iowa Christian School

Provision of christ centered education with scholastic excellence.

Education
8
Foundation for Dubuque Public Schools

Support student achievement by promoting investment in the Dubuque Public Schools.

Philanthropy
9
Fort Dodge Community School District Foundation

Raise funds to support area school district.

Education
10
United Way of North Central Iowa

Seeking to build a stronger, more caring community by forming partnerships with businesses, community experts, education & health & human service agencies to achieve targeted outcomes & sustained changes in community conditions which will…

Philanthropy
11
Waterloo Community Foundation

Provide a lean, straightforward, and transparent conduit vehicle to those who wish to contribute resources for the betterment of the greater waterloo, iowa community and its citizens.

Philanthropy
12
Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc

To support programs of orchestra iowa inc. and its affiliates.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Cedar Falls Schools Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Beaus Beautiful Blessings Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

16 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 16 of the 19 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/16
Grantees still filing
9/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CITY OF CEDAR FALLS: $1,575,543 · OtherCITY OF CEDAR FALLS+7 more: $114,285 · Other+7 moreUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA FOUNDATION: $393,833 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF NORTHE…CEDAR FALLS SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $32,500 · EducationCEDAR FALLS SCHOOLS …WATERLOO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $29,000 · EducationWATERLOO COMMUNITY S…COMMUNITY MAIN STREET INC: $288,176 · Community ImprovementCOMMUNITY MAI…STURGIS FALLS CELEBRATION INC: $10,000 · Community ImprovementEXCEPTIONAL PERSONS INC: $39,047 · Human ServicesTHE CEDAR VALLEY CANCER COMMITTEE: $25,000 · HealthBeaus Beautiful Blessings Inc: $10,000 · HealthCEDAR FALLS COMMUNITY THEATRE INC: $11,000 · Arts & CultureROTARY CLUB OF CEDAR FALLS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 · PhilanthropyNORTH STAR COMMUNITY SERVICES INC: $7,500 · Employment
Other$1,689,828Education$455,333Community Improvement$298,176Human Services$39,047Health$35,000Arts & Culture$11,000Philanthropy$10,000Employment$7,500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA FOUNDATION: $393,833 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetCOMMUNITY MAIN STREET INC: $288,176 over 5y, 40% of budgetCEDAR FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $44,000 over 4y, 2.5% of budgetEXCEPTIONAL PERSONS INC: $39,047 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCEDAR FALLS SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $32,500 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetWATERLOO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $29,000 over 3y, 2.9% of budgetTHE CEDAR VALLEY CANCER COMMITTEE: $25,000 over 3y, 4.8% of budgetTHE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION: $23,456 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCEDAR FALLS COMMUNITY THEATRE INC: $11,000 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetROTARY CLUB OF CEDAR FALLS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 3.9% of budgetCEDAR VALLEY PRESCHOOL & CHILD CARE CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetNORTH STAR COMMUNITY SERVICES INC: $7,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetHelen Hansen Elementary PTA: $6,000 over 1y, 4.8% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Max and Helen Guernse…Black Hawk County Gam…Lsb FoundationOtto Schoitz Foundati…Van G Miller Family C…Cedar Valley United W…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Max and Helen Guernsey Charitable FoundationIA22× affinity8 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Max and Helen Guernsey Charitable Foundation · Black Hawk County Gaming Association · Lsb Foundation · Otto Schoitz Foundation · Van G Miller Family Charitable Foundation · Cedar Valley United Way · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Cedar Falls Community Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Cedar Falls Community Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 19 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Cedar Falls’ filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home