Cedar Falls Community Theatre was awarded a $6,000 grant to support a new furnace for the Oster Regent Theater from the Rownd Trust. This repair will make it so the top two floors of the building can continue to be used during the winter months. By supporting the physical venue, we can ensure a healthy arts and culture sector in the Cedar Valley. The mission of the Cedar Falls Community Theater is to showcase community-based performing arts in Cedar Falls!

Wonderfully Made Childcare received a grant of $5,000 from the Children and Families Fund! This grant will help pay for an egress window, which will allow for an expansion of the childcare facility. Wonderfully Made Childcare is a home-based childcare provider near Orchard Hill Elementary that provides infant-school age care. They meet individual needs through hands-on learning, faith-building, and play, all while nurturing the children’s hearts and minds in a simple homestead environment.

Cedar Heights Parents Teachers Union was granted $5,000 from the Rownd Trust for a new playground at Cedar Heights Elementary. Funding will be used to help construct a playground to replace the current wooden playground that has become unsafe due to deteriorating pieces as well as wasps building nests inside the play structure. The Cedar Heights Parents Teachers United mission is to support the education, mental, and social welfare of children at Cedar Heights Elementary by fostering relationships among the school, parents, teachers, and community.

The City of Cedar Falls and the Cedar Falls Community Center were granted $6,000 from the Rownd Trust for new furniture! The current seating was donated in 2004 when the Community Center was built and is now in poor condition. The Community Center will also be receiving new flooring and with these updates, the city hopes to increase the appeal to the community to rent the space and make it a more inviting place for all. The Cedar Falls Community Center provides programs and services to senior citizens, hosts public events, and is rented on evenings and weekends by community members for private events.

Cedar Valley Preschool and Childcare was awarded a $3,000 grant from the Children and Families Fund! The funding will be used to replace four windows on the main floor of their facility that do not currently open, which helps address some health and safety issues. This institution has been providing a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment for the past 52 years! Children from various family styles, economic circumstances, diverse cultures, and with different capabilities are served at the Cedar Valley Preschool and Childcare facility so that parents can attend work or school with peace of mind.

Learn and Play Preschool and Daycare recieved a $5,000 grant from the Children and Families Fund! This grant will to help pay for furniture and equipment in their new addition. While at this facility children are engaged in educational and developmental programs that allow them to grow physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually. They are cared for in a safe and nurturing environment that is supplemental to the care they receive from their family unit.

Cedar Falls Pickleball Club received $12,500 to support the pickleball complex expansion and enhancement project from the Rownd Trust. This expansion will enhance the facilities in Orchard Hill Park with an additonal 8 pickleball courts, a new shelter, and a plaza/social area, as well as an expanded parking lot. The Cedar Falls Pickleball Club works to promote and grow the sport of pickleball in the Cedar Valley by providing fun, healthy, recreational and social opportunities for all in a welcoming and supportive environment.

College Hill Partnership received a  $25,000 grant from the Health and Wellness Fund to support a new inclusive and accessible playground at Seerley Park. At present, the park is not ADA accessible and this renovation will add stable surface and smooth transitions for those with mobility and vision challenges, as well as inclusive playground equipment, and a fence. The College Hill Partnership is a non-profit organization that serves as the leader in revitalization and promotion of the College Hill area, an urban neighborhood community.

The Hearst Center for the Arts received $3,000 from the Diamond Arts and History Fund to support an art and culture mobile tour. This will be a pilot project to develop a Cedar Falls Art mobile tour and selfie scavenger hunt, Hearst Sculpture Garden Scavenger Hunt, and art quizzes for youth over the fall of 2023. The Hearst Center for the Arts open doors to the humanities and creative arts through the excellence and appeal of exhibitions and programs.

UNI Foundation and Theatre UNI at Strayer-Wood received a grant of $2,500 to support audio-description supported performances for TheatreUNI. This will support their goal of providing descriptive services opportunities during live performances for visually-impaired and blind theater patrons. The Department of Theater at UNI works to engage students, audiences, community members, teachers and guest artists in diverse, innovative and captivating theater that illuminates the human condition. See less