Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grants Awarded to 10 DMPS Programs

Grant money totaling $106,000 from Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino has been awarded to the Des Moines Public Schools to support school programs and initiatives.

The Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grants are given to projects in one of four categories: arts and culture; economic development; education; and health and human services.

Des Moines Public Schools grant recipients are Central Campus Foundation, East High School, Harding Middle School, Hiatt Middle School, Library Support Group, Morris Elementary School, North High School Alumni Foundation, Ruby Van Meter School, Sisters for Success, and Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB).

“We are grateful for the generous contributions Prairie Meadows continues to make to the Des Moines Public Schools,” said Dr. Nancy Sebring, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. “The grant funds received by our schools and programs will provide many needed resources, such as new books and school uniforms for our students, and the opportunity for the use of innovative learning tools, such as the video modeling project for autistic students at Ruby Van Meter.”

Prairie Meadows has given more than $1 billion through taxes, grants and charitable donations to the state of Iowa. More than $435 million of that has remained in our community to promote education, economic development, agriculture, jobs and tourism.

A Grant Advisory Committee reviews all applications received. Grant applications are rated on demonstration of need, leverage of other funds secured and applied for, community support, community impact, population served, proposed evaluation of results, and strength of the organization.