Grant Recipients
Wings2Water offers two types of grants that help fulfill the mission of our organization. One is for educational programs; the other is for projects which improve and/or restore water quality or help nutrient pollution runoff.
“We’re proud to fund projects that both improve local water quality and educate the public on the urgent need for watershed restoration. These efforts move us closer to our mission of improving local water quality, as well as a better understanding of the water quality issue in the Mississippi River watershed.”
Marty Lenss, Wings2Water Board President
2025 Grant Award Recipients
These grants are made possible by generous support from corporate sponsors including GreenState Credit Union, TrueNorth, and New Leader Manufacturing, as well as round-it-up donations from travelers at the Eastern Iowa Airport.
Linn County Conservation
Awarded: $15,000
Funds will support the construction of a pond/wetland hybrid in Morgan Creek County Park, on Cedar Rapids’ southwest side. This system will filter runoff from 145 acres of row-crop farmland, significantly reducing sediment and erosion entering Morgan Creek. The benefits extend to Cedar Rapids residents, as the city’s drinking water wells are located downstream where Morgan Creek flows into the Cedar River.
Izaak Walton League – Nitrate Watch Program
Awarded: $10,000
Funding will provide 300+ nitrate test kits for volunteers testing water quality. Volunteers enter their results into the Clean Water Hub, a nationwide database. By equipping and engaging thousands of volunteers in grassroots monitoring, the League’s Clean Water Program empowers individuals and communities to become more aware of and involved in water quality issues close to home. To date, nearly 64,000 water quality readings have been reported by volunteers nationwide.
League of Women Voters – Upper Mississippi River Region ILO
Awarded: $1,000
Support will go toward a mobile, educational “pop art” exhibit highlighting landowners who model conservation best practices. The exhibit includes four freestanding panels and a whimsical, oversized aluminum can labeled “Pure Iowa Water”—a fictional brand with real-world lessons and “ingredients”. The traveling display brings attention to local nutrient pollution and the importance of healthy watersheds. The League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region ILO focuses on nutrient pollution reduction and impacting the rate of climate change, with attention to both surface and groundwater in the Upper Mississippi Basin.
2023 Grant Award Recipients
The awarded grant money comes from sales of a specialty beer called Greener State of Mind produced and sold in the fall of 2022. The beer was developed in partnership with Big Grove Brewery & Taproom, Green State Credit Union and Wings2Water.
INDIAN CREEK NATURE CENTER
Awarded: $10,000
Money to be used for a prairie buffer installation at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm.
LINN COUNTY CONSERVATION
Awarded: $7500
Money to be used for a wetland at The Bird Preserve, a newly added natural area to the Linn County Conservation system. This 84-acre natural area is located along Ellis Road NW and was donated to LCC in 2022. The location of the wetland is just north of Ellis Road at the confluence of Morgan Creek with the Cedar River.
IOWA RIVERS REVIVAL
Awarded: $5000
Money to be used to help plan, support, coordinate and execute a series of river cleanup events across Iowa.
FRIENDS OF LAKESIDE LAB
Awarded: $1500
Money to be used to help stabilize the shoreline of Little Millers Bay on West Okoboji Lake. A collapse of the shoreline would impact the diverse fisheries and recreational activities that take place in Little Millers Bay.
IOWA STATE EXTENSION AND OUTREACH—Johnson County
Awarded: $1000 (Two grant applications funded at $500 each.)
Money to be used for two educational workshops for women in agriculture. The first workshop is a tile drainage workshop; the second workshop is a water quality workshop.
