Become a Hometown Pride Community
Keep Iowa Beautiful is Seeking New County and Community Partners
Is your town grappling with challenges such as population decline, neglected spaces, or leadership burnout? Keep Iowa Beautiful invites communities like yours to join our Hometown Pride program, a proven initiative designed to revitalize and strengthen local communities. Interested communities can submit a “statement of interest” (using the submission form below) by May 8, 2024 to be considered for addition to Hometown Pride.
Hometown Pride, a Keep Iowa Beautiful initiative, has already empowered 107 Iowa towns. With the help of thousands of volunteers, Hometown Pride communities have completed over 1,500 projects, raising millions of dollars for community betterment. Now, we’re seeking new towns to partner with in your area.
Transform Your Town with Hometown Pride
Hometown Pride empowers your community to:
- Cultivate Local Leadership: Develop a new generation of leaders passionate about the well-being of your town.
- Enhance Community Amenities: Create and improve local facilities and spaces that contribute to a vibrant and attractive community.
- Foster Civic Pride: Cultivate a sense of belonging and pride among residents.
- Boost Economic Vitality: Improved leadership, amenities and pride will make your community more attractive and supportive for businesses.
- Increase Collaboration: Building partnerships between local government, non-profit organizations and businesses to implement change
Participating towns are provided with five years of funding to employ a professional “community coach,” who will work with a committee of 5-10 resident volunteers to run a successful community improvement program in each town. Participants join as a group of 6-10 towns in one region, and provide a 25% match toward the cost.
A typical town will complete 15-20 projects and raise $200,000 (or more) over 5 years – projects include things like park amenities, clean-up events, public art, festivals, fundraising, leadership programs, trails, welcome signs, and more. Hometown Pride works with your existing organizations and initiatives to achieve shared community goals.
How to Join Hometown Pride in 2024
Communities interested in being part of Hometown Pride are invited to submit a Statement of Interest by May 8, using the submission form below. We understand that finalizing funding and participants might be a work in progress, and we do not expect a fully detailed plan at this stage. Instead, provide an overview of your community’s current discussions, indicating your readiness to embark on the Hometown Pride journey. Please review our readiness checklist to better understand what we’re looking for in prospective participants, and the benefits of the program.
Submission Guidelines:
- Group Submissions: Communities are added in groups of 6-10 towns within a county or adjacent counties. Individual towns cannot apply. (Please submit only one submission form per group)
- Strong Community Support: An ideal submission showcases robust backing from community leaders across multiple towns within a geographic area. Review our readiness checklist for guidance on how to build and show support.
- Deadline: Submit your Statement of Interest by May 8, using the submission form below.
- Submission Form: Use the submission form below to submit (scroll to the end of this page).
Connect with Us
Prospective submitters are expected to reach out to Keep Iowa Beautiful Associate Director Lorin Ditzler at [email protected] well before the deadline to discuss your interest in joining Hometown Pride.
Be part of the movement and take the first step towards transforming your community. Join Hometown Pride and let’s build a brighter future together!
A Hometown Pride Success Story
When Delmar (pop: 542) joined Hometown Pride, no new businesses or amenities had been added to the community in 20 years. Community leaders were motivated to make a change, but unsure how.
Delmar Hometown Pride started off with a bang, raising more than $100,000 to build a long-awaited community amenity: a splash pad.
Their speedy success served as an immediate catalyst for economic renewal in Delmar. After seeing the community’s ability to come together and support change, local entrepreneurs and builders gained confidence in the town, and over the next few years Delmar saw 5 new businesses and a total of $2 million in construction.
Delmar Hometown Pride went on to lead renovations of the historic rail depot, restoration of a historic mural, construction of a disc golf course and more. Read the full Delmar story in this article by CityScape magazine.
Hometown Pride – Statement of Interest
Thank you for your interest in Hometown Pride! Please submit this form by May 8, 2024. Before beginning, review our Hometown Pride Readiness Checklist and reach out to Lorin Ditzler via email or at 515-398-0772.