State and National Projects

Project: Arts in Education
Recipient: Department of Education
                400 Maryland Avenue SW
                Washington, DC 20202
Amount Requested: $53,000,000
This request would fund model arts education programs in schools in communities throughout the country. One of these programs is VSA Arts of Iowa, which promotes arts experiences for children with disabilities.

Project: Center for Civic Education
Recipient: The Center for Civic Education
                5145 Douglas Fir Road
                Calabasas, CA  91302
Amount Requested: $21,600,000
This request would fund the We the People program, which supports civic education programs in every congressional district. In Iowa’s Second Congressional District, a team of students participating in the program have been selected to compete in the We the People National Finals.

Project: Certified Environmental Management Systems for Agriculture (CEMSA)
Recipient: Iowa Soybean Association
                  1255 SW Prairie Trail Parkway
                  Ankeny, IA 50023
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Funds will be used to provide technical assistance, analysis, and reporting for farmers to assist with environmental and economic performance management, helping them to document baseline and performance data to measure results of their management practices and incorporate that data into continual performance improvements such as in nutrient, soil, pest, carbon, and energy management. Farmers using CEMSA will be able to track energy, carbon, and GHG benefits of farming practices, along with improving stewardship of healthy soils and watersheds while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency.

Project: National History Day
Recipient: National History Day Incorporated
                  0119 Cecil Hall, University of Maryland
                 College Park, MD 20742
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
This request would fund a national network of history and education programs that are proven to help teachers meet educational standards and increase their students' historical literacy, critical thinking skills, and reading and writing skills. National History Day in Iowa has locations in Ottumwa and Iowa City.

Project: National Writing Project
Recipient: National Writing Project
                2105 Bancroft Way, #1042
                Berkeley, CA 94720-1042   
Amount Requested: $26,200,000
NWP provides support for a national infrastructure of more than 200 writing projects sites that serve their local schools and teaching communities with high-quality teacher professional development in all 50 states. There is a National Writing Project site at the University of Northern Iowa, where many of Iowa’s 2nd District teachers are trained.

Project: Reach Out and Read
Recipient: Reach Out and Read
                56 Roland Street, Suite 100 D
                Boston, MA 02129
Amount Requested: $10,000,000
Reach Out and Read is a multi-Member project request to promote literacy and language development in infants and young children, targeting disadvantaged and poor children and families. Reach Out and Read was established in Iowa in early 2006. Initially comprised of 17 sites in the state, the coalition has expanded to 69 sites serving over 54,000 children as of September 2009.  

Project: Reading Is Fundamental
Recipient: Reading Is Fundamental
                 1825 Connecticut Ave, NW
                 Washington, DC 20009
Amount Requested: $25,000,000
This request would support Reading Is Fundamental, a national program that enhances child literacy by providing millions of underserved children with free books to foster personal ownership and encourage reading. Reading Is Fundamental has more than 18,000 locations throughout all fifty states. This program provided funding for a Head Start program in Ottumwa, IA that won a national Reading Is Fundamental Program of Excellence award.

Project: Upper Mississippi River Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP)
Recipient: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
                  Rock Island District
                  Clock Tower Building
                  PO Box 2004
                  Rock Island, IL 61204
Amount Requested: $15,000,000
Funds will be used to construct navigation improvements, environmental mitigation projects, and ecosystem restoration projects on the Upper Mississippi River. The Corps estimates that funding of these construction projects would create 320-587 jobs. Ensuring continued navigation ability on the river while balancing environmental concerns is crucial to the smooth functioning of shipping and commerce along with the general economy in the Midwest, especially for Iowa farmers and manufacturers. This program is also supported by a wide range of stakeholders such as, but not limited to, the Nature Conservancy, Waterways Council, National Audubon Society, American Soybean Association, Corn Refineries Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Laborers’ International Union of North America, International Union of Operating Engineers locals, West Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council, Iron Workers locals, National Construction Alliance, Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Assn., Assn. of General Contractors Locals, National Grain and Feed Association, National Oilseed Processors Association, National Sunflower Association, the Fertilizer Institute, US Canola Association, and USA Rice Federation.

Project: Upper Mississippi River Restoration, Environmental Management Program (EMP)
Recipient: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
                  Rock Island District
                  Clock Tower Building
                  PO Box 2004
                  Rock Island, IL 61204
Amount Requested: $25,000,000
Funds will be used to plan, design, begin and complete construction on over 20 different Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects on the Upper Mississippi River in addition to continued long-term resource monitoring, management, and research efforts on the river. The balancing of environmental concerns and improvements with the navigation need on the river requires a significant amount of coordination and effort from local, state, and federal governments and citizens. The river is one of Iowa’s most prized natural resources and tourist attractions. This program is also supported by a wide range of stakeholders such as, but not limited to, the Nature Conservancy, Waterways Council, National Audubon Society, American Soybean Association, Corn Refineries Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Laborers’ International Union of North America, International Union of Operating Engineers locals, West Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council, Iron Workers locals, National Construction Alliance, Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Assn., Assn. of General Contractors Locals, National Grain and Feed Association, National Oilseed Processors Association, National Sunflower Association, the Fertilizer Institute, US Canola Association, and USA Rice Federation.

Project: Watershed Management and Demonstration Program
Recipient: Iowa Soybean Association
                255 SW Prairie Trail Parkway
                Ankeny, IA 50023
Amount Requested: $300,000
Funds will be used to provide technical assistance to farmers and watershed organizations using watershed planning, applied evaluation and adaptive implementation methods, for the purpose of reducing water degradation and improving watershed health in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Farmers and our watersheds are better served by minimizing the loss of nutrients and sediment from the farms to the rivers.