COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA (August 23, 2019) — Google announced the five winning nonprofits for Iowa’s Google.org Impact Challenge today. Each of these organizations will receive $175,000 and, beginning on August 23, Iowans are invited to vote for the "People’s Choice" winner, who will be awarded an additional $125,000. In total, Google.org will contribute $1 million to Iowan nonprofit organizations through the Impact Challenge. The Google.org Impact Challenge supports "Grow with Google," the tech company’s initiative to create economic opportunities for people across the country.

“Iowa is incredibly diverse and has talented nonprofit organizations working to create opportunities in each of their communities,” said Dan Harbeke, Head of Public Policy and External Affairs at Google in Council Bluffs. “We’re excited to celebrate 10 years in Iowa by announcing the winners of  the Google.org Impact Challenge in Iowa; we hope to help these organizations bring great ideas to life.”

Google selected a panel of Iowa judges to review applications from nonprofits across the state and chose five winners who proposed bold and creative ideas to create economic opportunity in their communities.

The five winners are:

  • Buena Vista University’s Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship and the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation: An innovative Match-Learn-Launch succession program for budding entrepreneurs, this program features an app designed to match new entrepreneurs with retiring business owners, offering mentoring and education from time of match to new launch.
  • Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center: RefugeeRISE leverages the power of community by training emerging leaders from refugee communities to become work-readiness trainers. RISE leaders connect and support fellow refugees with education, jobs, and services to increase economic opportunities for refugees and economic growth in Iowa.
  • Four Mounds Foundation: Expanding its youth HEART (Housing Education And Rehabilitation Training) program to serve young adults who are disconnected from work. Participants are immersed in authentic restoration projects that build skills, revitalize urban core, and build economic vibrance, while getting paid and receiving college certification.
  • Iowa JAG Inc: Helping young people in Iowa who have experienced significant challenges uncover their innate power and resiliency by creating customized and in-depth plans that put students directly on track to a fulfilling and meaningful career by connecting them with employers in high-demand industries. 
  • The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative: Expanding their current coding boot camp to train incarcerated individuals to become software developers and find gainful employment opportunities upon their release. NewBoCo in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Corrections and this partnership will be piloted in the Iowa Women's Correctional Institution in Mitchellville, Iowa.

For the next stage of the Google.org Impact Challenge, the public is invited to visit g.co/iowachallenge to learn more about the nominees and vote for one organization to be named the ‘People’s Choice’ winner awarded an additional $175,000. Voting begins on Friday, August 23 at midnight and ends Friday, August 30 at 11:59PM. 

Google.org announced the Impact Challenge Iowa this spring during a series of “Grow with Google” digital skills workshops held in Des Moines, Davenport, and Council Bluffs. 

The Iowa Google.org Impact Challenge local judge panel includes:

  • Dr Dan Kinney, President, Iowa Western Community College
  • Georgia Van Gundy, Executive Director and Board Secretary, Iowa Business Council
  • Monica Chavez-Silva, Board Chair of Iowa Council of Foundations & Assistant Vice President for Community Enhancement, Grinnell College 
  • Sherry Ristau, President, Quad Cities Community Foundation
  • Tej Dhawan, Chief Data Officer, Principal Financial Group

Google is also celebrating its 10 years in Council Bluffs through its data center. Google has invested more than $2.5 billion and established a long-term commitment to the region and state. In addition to the Impact Challenge funds, Google has also awarded more than $1.5 million to local schools and nonprofits since 2009. In their 2018 Economic Impact Report, Google announced that 7,100 businesses in Iowa generated $1.04 billion in economic activity by using Google’s search and advertising tools. The full report details Google’s economic impact state-by-state, and features the stories of businesses fueling that growth, creating job opportunities, and transforming their communities.

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