Clarke County Foundation

Clarke County Iowa — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:26:00 -0600

The Clarke County Foundation (CCF) was established in 2006 by a few visionary people to foster community development, support community identity, and to extol the virtues of small town living in Clarke County, Iowa.

Clarke County Foundation is funded through various grants and private donations by those passionate about combating blight and community deterioration in Clarke County, Iowa.

CCF is working hard to foster the community development needs and support the community identity of Clarke County, Iowa. CCF offers a variety of programs to Clarke County Residents and Business Owners.

Available Grants/Low Interest Loan Programs for Small Businesses

Revolving Loan Fund Program

The Clarke County Foundation has made a conserved effort to support smaller manufacturers as they expand their operations in Clarke County. Low interest and forgivable loans are available to qualified applicants. Please contact Elizabeth Simpson at (641) 342-2944 for further information.

Available Community Programs

Paint the Town Red

The Paint the Town Red (PTR) program was started in 2006 to help improve Clarke County's image and strengthen pride in our community. The Paint the Town Red Program addresses many concerns facing our community.

In the Spring of 2006 the PTR program kicked off it's residential renovation program. This program was put in place to help share the costs of repairs to the exteriors of existing homes in Clarke County. The program was hugely successful with 50 households participating with a variety of projects and over $138,000 in grant money distributed. A variety of projects including replacing roofs and windows, painting the exterior of homes, residing homes and repairing decks were completed and the results were magnificent! CCF in coordination with the Clarke County Development Corporation funded this community wide effort with matching grants valued up to $5000 per household.

In the Fall of 2006 the PTR program kicked off it's Demolition Grant Program to aid in the demolition of run down properties in Clarke County. This program offers matching funds up to $5000 for the demolition of run down properties. To date, $7,700 has been granted towards this effort.

New Residency Program

In the Spring of 2006 the New Residency program was allotted $50,000 to attract new residents to Clarke County. This program offers a $5000 grant to new residents buying a newly constructed home in Clarke County with a minimum value of $125,000 . The program is aimed to attract new residents to purchase a newly constructed home in Clarke County. This program is also available to residents of Clarke County that currently do not own a home.