Donate to Creating Great Places
Creating Great Places (CGP) provides a great return on your investment.
The staff has a proven track record of leading big projects at a very modest cost. Between 2005 and 2009, our Great Place volunteer group led Coon Rapids-Whiterock in winning the Iowa Great Place designation, then in raising more than $6 million for a wide variety of community projects.
Whereas professional grant-writers can easily cost $80 per hour, Creating Great Places has been getting the job done for a fraction of that cost. Our costs are low because we use local labor (and train them in grant-writing) and also rely heavily on volunteers.
The costs we DO have are mostly just the tools we need to get the job done: office, communications, travel, internet, website, copies, etc. With community and alumni support to cover basic operating costs, we can continue to serve Coon Rapids and western Iowa.
Please make a general donation to CGP. Click here now.
Support Specific Projects
Creating Great Places also raises money for specific projects.
Trail Connection to Des Moines.
This $8 million trail is the most ambitious project we have going. The funding strategy is to apply for state and federal dollars, but these do have a 25% match requirement so we need to start raising match now. In addition, we are paying trail engineers Snyder and Associates for preliminary budgeting and planning. Please give generously to make this trail a reality.
Rural Art
CGP is seeking to raise $1,000 to start an artist in residency program for Coon Rapids. We have the offer of luxury woodland lodging, but still need to assist resident artists with travel and meal expenses. Help support the budding art movement in Coon Rapids by donating now.
Resident Recruitment
CGP thinks a vital environmental and arts movement in Coon Rapids will depend on achieving a critical mass of people who share those interesets. We are also interested in encouraging diversity in our community. Please help us pay for magazine ads focused on telling potential new residents just how Great our Place really is. Donate now.