THURSDAY, MARCH 28th, 2024

MRHD Awards $50,000 to 18 Organizations for Community Events

SIOUX CITY – Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD) announced the recipients of their 2024 Community Event Grant today during an awards ceremony at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City. In total, $50,000 was awarded to 18 local organizations to support a wide variety of community events throughout Woodbury County.

This is the first time MRHD has offered a grant cycle exclusively for community events, which provided local governments and tax-exempt organizations an opportunity to receive up to $10,000 in funding to develop, market, and implement new or existing events in Woodbury County. The program was planned to support events that are open to the public with free or low-cost admission.

“This grant was created to support events in Woodbury County that provide opportunities for people to come together, create fun experiences, and promote a sense of community among the participants,” said Sarah Kleber, President of MRHD. “Community events are vital to placemaking and enhancing quality of life. This grant will help events that are accessible to the public be successful and provide organizers with much needed support for a wide range of interests and events.”

Awards include funding for rural cities and organizations throughout the county for events such as: Anthon Kids Days, the Cushing Ice Cream Social, Danbury Corn Days, the Golphstok Music and Arts Festival in Pierson, the Lawton Street Dance, and Moville Days. Funding was provided for new events for families including the Sioux City Art Center’s Free Family Art Day and the Crittenton Center’s Siouxland Digs Kids. Some of Siouxland’s longtime signature events such as River-Cade and Saturday in the Park were also awarded funds that help address new challenges. Additional awards were provided to a diverse range of interests including a health fair, gaming convention, cultural celebrations, and festivals featuring biking, music, dancing, and the arts.

MRHD is the non-profit Qualified Sponsoring Organization that holds the license for casino gaming in Woodbury County and receives funding from an agreement with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Sioux City. Under Iowa law, a percentage of the casino’s gaming revenues is allocated to MRHD for community development. Since 1989, MRHD has invested more than $52 Million into Woodbury County and the Siouxland community through grants funded by casino gaming revenue.

For more information about MRHD, or the 2024 Community Event Grant program, contact MRHD Executive Director, David Gleiser at: (712) 899-6631, or: execdir@mrhdiowa.org.

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