Foundation Awards Annual Excellence Grants!
November 2026
The Cedar Falls Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the following Excellence Grants for the 2026-2027 School Year. Focusing on the areas of innovation, memorable experiences and wellness, 19 grants, amounting to almost $40,000, will expand opportunities for students and staff. Thank you alumni, staff, businesses and organizations, community members, and parents for making these grants possible!
2027-2028 Excellence Grants:
- Expanding Individual Sports, High School | $3,903
Grant made possible in part by the Class of 1970 - Ready to Respond: High School CPR Training, High School | $3,141
Grant made possible in part by the Class of 1968 - Pickleball Equipment, All Elementary Buildings | $3,380
Grant made in memory of Jim & Karen Bolger, Karen was a former P.E. Teacher at Peet Junior High - Growing Together Garden Project, North Cedar Elementary | $1,000.00
Grant made in memory of Pat Lyman, former Lincoln Elementary volunteer - Adaptive Music Course, Peet Junior High | $2,500
Grant made possible by the Cedar Falls Woman’s Club - Staff White Boards, High School | $2,804
Grant made possible by the Cedar Falls Woman’s Club - Rock On! Building Musicians Through Drumming, Southside Elementaries | $4,800
Grant made possible by CF Rock & Roll Revue - Rock On! Building Musicians Through Drumming, Northside Elementaries | $4,800
Grant made possible by CF Rock & Roll Revue - Real Care Babies, Holmes Junior High | $2,250
- School Health Office Emergency Go Bag, All Buildings | $900
- Building the Future - Cardboard Innovation Kits for Durable Skills in Action, All Elementary Buildings | $4,994
- I Can Do It!, Orchard Hill Elementary | $510
- Little Learners, BIG Impact, North Cedar Elementary | $1,000
- Tubs of Tiny Words: Building Big Readers A-Z, Cedar Heights Elementary | $279
- Growing with a Gardyn, North Cedar Elementary | $1,000
- Play to Start the Day, North Cedar Elementary | $500
- Making Play Accessible, Southdale Elementary | $350
- 3rd Grade STEM Bins, Hansen Elementary | $600
- Sensory Needs, Special Education Adaptive Behavior Instruction, Cedar Heights Elementary | $400
Click here to l earn more about our Excellence Grants!
Supporting Seniors with Scholarships
May 2026
On May 12, at the Cedar Falls High School Honors Convocation, our donors made a very special impact and investment to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments and aspirations of our 2026 scholarship recipients. The following 17 scholarships, amounting to $34,000 total, were awarded. Individual award amounts range from $1,250-5,000.
Bill Close & Ron Streed smARTstart Scholarship: Daniel Kitzman
Cedar Falls Rough Risers Kiwanis Club Scholarship: Riley Castro
Dan and Bea Brown Memorial Scholarship: Addelyn Hoskinson
Do Better. Be Better. Scholarship: Casey Tran
Frank and Dorothy Horn Memorial Scholarship: Alexa Harrington
Janelle Wilks Memorial Scholarship: Dylan Kieffer
John Tamisiea Memorial Scholarship: Cael Harms
Kathy Bunger Memorial Scholarship: Addison Spier
Kristine Martinson and Family Scholarship: Reese Michael
Lauterbach Memorial Scholarship: Abigail Mott & Trinity Jurries
Rick VerHeul Memorial Scholarship: Kael Moore
Robert and Hazel Messer Scholarship: Brynn Bakula
Ronald E. Juhl Memorial Scholarship: Landyn Bakula
Scott Sterrett Memorial Scholarship: Toby Niese
Legacy of Learning Scholarship: Prisha Tol
Cedar Falls Schools Foundation Scholarship: Diya Pradeep
To read more about our scholarships, click here.
Best wishes Class of 2026!
Nero Memorial Grants Awarded During National Teacher Appreciation Week
May 2026
The Cedar Falls Schools Foundation celebrated National Teacher Appreciation Week with two surprise visits to support new teachers pursuing further education. Grants were made possible from the generous memorial donations made to the Nero Memorial Grant Fund.
John and Doris Nero dedicated their careers to education as teachers and guidance counselors. After John's passing in 2011, Doris established the fund to continue John’s passion for helping and encouraging new teachers, especially to pursue professional development.
Two Nero Memorial Grants in the amount of $650 each have been awarded this year to:
- Ali Gerbracht, special education teacher at Cedar Falls High School, who will be taking a math methods course at the Buena Vista University.
- Emily Pendleton, 4th grade teacher at Hansen Elementary, who is pursuing her masters in curriculum at Western Governors University.
Awarded annually, 27 Cedar Falls Community School District teachers have been supported through this fund.
Now Accepting Scholarship Applications!
January 2026
The Cedar Falls Schools Foundation (CFSF) will be awarding over $30,000 in scholarships this year to Cedar Falls graduates – individual awards range from $1,250-$5,000. All CFHS seniors pursuing higher education next fall are encouraged to submit an online application.
By completing a single application, seniors will be matched to all eligible scholarships. Scholarship criteria are varied – some are merit-based, recognizing students’ academic, extra-curricular, and community-based achievements. Others are designed to support certain fields of study or specific institutions. Scholarships may be one-time awards or annually renewed.
The application deadline is March 15, 2026. Applications will be reviewed by a scholarship selection committee and will be awarded at the Honors Convocation Ceremony on May 12, 2026.
The CFSF is honored to manage multiple scholarship funds, made possible solely through the generosity of alumni, staff, community members, businesses and organizations. Click here to see a full listing of CFSF scholarships.