In 2019, Iowa Community Development used $10 million in NMTC financing to support the construction of three new Boys and Girls Clubs in Central Iowa.
The Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Club, Des Moines, IA ($8 million in NMTC financing)
The Burt Club, which opened in August 2019 in Des Moines on Drake University’s campus, is only the third Boys & Girls Club in the nation located on a private college campus. The club is operated by Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa (BGCCI), a nonprofit that provides young people a safe, supportive place, structured programs and caring staff. The Club provides numerous educational and service opportunities for Drake’s students and further integrates the University with the surrounding neighborhood.
The E.T. Meredith Club and the Studebaker Club ($2 million in NMTC financing)
NMTC financing supported improvements in two club buildings owned by the Des Moines Community School District. The projects are part of “club pathways” which allows the Boys & Girls Clubs to provide services to youth as they progress from elementary to high school. These improvements allowed BGCCI to create a brand new, Studebaker Club and to expand the services provided at the E.T. Meredith Club.
The E.T. Meredith Club, which opened in 2020, serves 100 teens at a site steps away from East High School. The club site completes the pathways program for students who have previously attended nearby clubs and it offers structured programs after school and over the summer, including a games room, STEM education, a cooking café, college and career preparation, volunteerism, sports, and arts.
When it opens in 2021, the Studebaker Club will serve south-side youth K-5 at a brand new facility attached to Studebaker Elementary School.
Altogether, the projects generated 44 direct, permanent jobs in two severely distressed areas of Des Moines.