The Waterloo Housing Trust Fund primarily supports local housing stability and human services in Waterloo and surrounding Northeast Iowa, funding affordable housing production, rental assistance, and emergency shelter/stabilization programs. They direct funds to municipal partners and community nonprofits that provide housing development (Habitat), rental subsidies (TBRA), and coordinated social supports for vulnerable populations including seniors and families experiencing homelessness. The foundation favors place-based, operational and program support that keeps people housed and connected to services.
Waterloo Housing Trust Fund’s recent grantmaking is defined by housing stability in Waterloo and Northeast Iowa, with recurring support for rental assistance, emergency shelter, and affordable housing production. The largest recent awards show that pattern clearly: $91,170 to Nei3a Life Long Links in 2024 and $75,107 to Nei3a in 2025, both linked to aging-in-place and supportive services for older adults. Housing development is another major thread, including $61,160 to Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity in 2024 and $55,478 in 2025. The foundation also backs city-led housing work, giving $47,470 to the City of Waterloo in 2025. Across the recent grants list, the same local service system appears again and again: tenant-based rental help, coordinated stabilization, shelter access, and nonprofit partners that work directly with households facing housing insecurity. That mix suggests a funder that supports both infrastructure and direct services, with a practical focus on keeping people housed and connected to local support networks.
Aging services are a visible part of the portfolio. Waterloo Housing Trust Fund gave $91,170 to Nei3a Life Long Links in 2024 and another $75,107 to Nei3a in 2025, pointing to sustained support for seniors and aging-in-place services. In housing production, they awarded $61,160 to Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity in 2024 and $55,478 in 2025, alongside earlier Habitat funding of $28,818 in 2023. Emergency shelter and homelessness response also appears repeatedly: Operation Threshold received $40,675 in 2025, $24,983 in 2024, $27,267 in 2023, and $14,017 in 2024. For rental assistance, Epi Tbra was funded for $12,300 in 2025, $10,425 in 2024, and $5,975 in 2023.
Typical grant size is modest and clustered: the 25th percentile is $12,221, the median is $19,000, and the 75th percentile is $28,542. The recent record also shows repeat support for the same organizations across multiple years, including Nei3a, Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Operation Threshold, Salvation Army, Cv Friends of the Family, and Epi Tbra. That pattern points to an ongoing, relationship-based funding style rather than one-off awards. The foundation is a local funder and gives exclusively in Iowa, with every listed grant going to recipients in the home state. It also does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$251K
$102K
$283K
$284K
Most grants fall between $12K and $29K, with a median of $19K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$19K
75th Percentile
$29K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in IA.
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Concentrated, local giving with repeated multi-year or multiple grants to a small set of core community providers; funding is mid-sized and program-focused (operational support, rental assistance, and project grants) rather than broad national philanthropy.
Notable grantees: Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, NEI3A / Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (Life Long Links), Operation Threshold, City of Waterloo, EPI TBRA
Grantmaking is entirely concentrated in Iowa, and the recipient list is rooted in Waterloo and nearby Northeast Iowa communities. Waterloo itself appears through the City of Waterloo, while other named recipients include organizations serving regional households such as Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Operation Threshold, Salvation Army, House of Hope, Cv Friends of the Family, and Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging. The country distribution is fully domestic: 22 grants, or 100%, went to U.S. recipients.
The foundation funds housing stability, affordable housing production, rental assistance, emergency shelter, and supportive services for older adults. Recent awards include support for senior services through Nei3a, homebuilding through Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, and homelessness response through Operation Threshold and House of Hope.
Recent grant sizes are centered in the tens of thousands of dollars. The 25th percentile is $12,221, the median is $19,000, and the 75th percentile is $28,542.
No. The grant record shows 100% of grants going to recipients in Iowa, and the recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Nei3a, Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Operation Threshold, Salvation Army, Cv Friends of the Family, and Epi Tbra. That indicates ongoing support rather than isolated awards.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEI3A | — | $75,107 | 2025 | — |
| IOWA HEARTLAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | — | $55,478 | 2025 | — |
| CITY OF WATERLOO | — | $47,470 | 2025 | — |
| OPERATION THRESHOLD | — | $40,675 | 2025 | — |
| SALVATION ARMY | — | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| EPI TBRA | — | $12,300 | 2025 | — |
| CV FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY | — | $5,109 | 2025 | — |
| NEI3A LIFE LONG LINKS | — | $91,170 | 2024 | — |
| IOWA HEARTLAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | — | $61,160 | 2024 | — |
| OPERATION THRESHOLD | — | $24,983 | 2024 | — |
| CV FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY | — | $17,334 | 2024 | — |
| HOUSE OF HOPE | — | $15,000 | 2024 | — |
| OPERATION THRESHOLD | — | $14,017 | 2024 | — |
| EPI TBRA | — | $10,425 | 2024 | — |
| NORTHEAST IOWA AREA AGENCY ON AGING | — | $8,954 | 2024 | — |
| NEI3A LIFE LONG LINKS | — | $47,450 | 2023 | — |
| IOWA HEARTLAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | — | $28,818 | 2023 | — |
| CITY OF WATERLOO | WATERLOO, IA | $28,267 | 2023 | — |
| OPERATION THRESHOLD | — | $27,267 | 2023 | — |
| SALVATION ARMY | — | $19,000 | 2023 | — |
| CV FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY | — | $8,000 | 2023 | — |
| EPI TBRA | — | $5,975 | 2023 | — |
NEI3A
$75,107IOWA HEARTLAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$55,478CITY OF WATERLOO
$47,470OPERATION THRESHOLD
$40,675SALVATION ARMY
$15,000EPI TBRA
$12,300CV FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY
$5,109NEI3A LIFE LONG LINKS
$91,170IOWA HEARTLAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$61,160OPERATION THRESHOLD
$24,983CV FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY
$17,334HOUSE OF HOPE
$15,000OPERATION THRESHOLD
$14,017EPI TBRA
$10,425NORTHEAST IOWA AREA AGENCY ON AGING
$8,954NEI3A LIFE LONG LINKS
$47,450IOWA HEARTLAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$28,818CITY OF WATERLOO
$28,267OPERATION THRESHOLD
$27,267SALVATION ARMY
$19,000CV FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY
$8,000EPI TBRA
$5,975