Alliant Energy Foundation provides $20,000 flood assistance grant to Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County

Dollars coming from Foundation’s new Rebuilding Our Communities Grant Program

The Alliant Energy Foundation is pleased to announce that Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Richland County has been awarded a $20,000 grant. The dollars are coming from the Foundation’s new Rebuilding Our Communities Grant Program. The program was established to provide unrestricted grants to help non-profit groups throughout Alliant Energy’s utility service territory with recovery from this summer’s flooding.

“Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County provides critical emergency housing services to the residents of the county and the June flooding greatly increased the demand for their assistance programs,” said Marthea Fox, Alliant Energy Foundation Executive Director. “The Alliant Energy Foundation wants to help them out so that they can continue to be a strong resource for the people of Richland County well into the future.”

The NHS of Richland County provides flood recovery contract and essential emergency housing services for Richland County Government. The 2008 flooding has caused a dramatic increase in administrative and labor costs for the group as well as a heightened demand for services and resources. The small, rural non-profit is working hard to meet the needs of county residents.

“We are facing both organizational capacity and service challenges due to the flooding that occurred throughout Richland County" said Terry Testolin, Executive Director of NHS of Richland County. “We are very thankful for the grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation to assist us in providing more housing-related services to residents that were hit the hardest.”

The Alliant Energy Foundation’s Rebuilding Our Communities Grant Program was created in response to the extensive flooding across Alliant Energy’s utility service territory in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. The Foundation has allocated $1 million for the program and non-profit groups can apply through October 1st for $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 unrestricted flood recovery grants. Funds are to be used to help non-profits resume or maintain operations.

Non-profit groups can request funds by submitting a brief application form explaining their need and the population they serve that was affected by the flooding. A determination of grant eligibility will be made within 14 days of submission.

To be eligible, an organization must be a registered non-profit organization as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Service Code. Organizations are encouraged to review eligibility guidelines before applying. Government entities (i.e. schools and public libraries) are not eligible for this program.

Over the past ten years, the Alliant Energy Foundation has contributed more than $26 million across the Alliant Energy utility service territory to projects and organizations through a variety of programs and worthwhile initiatives. To learn more about the Foundation and its Rebuilding Our Communities Grant Program, please visit www.alliantenergy.com/foundation; or request an application from the Foundation office by calling (608) 458-4483.