Grow with Google aims to help everyone across America access the best of Google’s training and tools to grow their skills, careers, businesses, and nonprofits. In this spirit, the Google.org Impact Challenge Iowa is awarding $1,000,000 in grant funding to nonprofits creating economic opportunity in our cities and towns. Local nonprofits submitted innovative proposals and a panel of experts and the public helped us decide the five winners.
If you’re a local nonprofit and did not get a chance to submit an application, we invite you to join our Grow with Google Partner Program. By joining, you will have access to free resources that can help your organization teach people the digital skills they need to grow their careers and businesses.
Meet the winners
Our judges have selected the five winners. These five nonprofits are pursuing big ideas to create economic opportunity in Iowa, and each will receive $175,000 in funding to jumpstart their ideas. Selected by the public, the People's Choice winner will receive an additional 125,000 in funding.
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EMBARC
RefugeeRISE connects refugees in Iowa to education, jobs, and economic opportunity through a peer-to-peer refugee leadership model.
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iJag
iJag helps young people in Iowa who have experienced significant challenges uncover their innate power and resiliency by connecting them with employers in high-demand industries.
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BVU’s Lamberti Center/ IA Lakes Corridor
Match-Learn-Launch: a program to match retiring business owners with new entrepreneurs, transitioning Iowa’s businesses to a thriving new generation.
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NewBoCo
Expanding their current young adult coding boot camp to train incarcerated individuals to become software developers and find gainful employment opportunities upon their release.
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Four Mounds
Expanding HEART (Housing Education and Rehabilitation Training) program to serve young adults disconnected from work through restoration projects that revitalize urban areas.
Meet the judges
Meet our panel of judges who helped review the submissions and select the winners.
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Tej Dhawan
Chief Data Officer, Principal Financial Group
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Sherry E. Ristau
President and Chief Executive Officer, Quad Cities Community Foundation
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Monica Chavez-Silva
Board Chair, Iowa Council of Foundations
Assistant Vice President for Community Enhancement, Grinnell College -
Dr. Dan Kinney
President, Iowa Western Community College
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Georgia Van Gundy
Executive Director and Board Secretary, Iowa Business Council
