Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to enfranchise everyday people—across race, class, and geography—to build stronger communities and fight for justice. Founded by four clergy members in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1975, Iowa CCI began as a grassroots group organizing on local issues such as neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, and combating redlining practices. In the decades since, the organization has expanded its scope and mission to serve rural and urban Iowans across the state, especially those most impacted by issues like corporate agriculture, environmental pollution, racial injustice, unaffordable health care and housing, and political corruption. A multi-issue organization, Iowa CCI creates lasting change through grassroots organizing, education, and mobilizing on issues that impact Iowans the most. Driving all that Iowa CCI does is the belief that everyday people are a powerful force for justice.
Iowa CCI members mobilize against factory farming. Photo: Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
A woman-led organization with thirteen staff members and thousands of members statewide, Iowa CCI is building the power of Iowa’s everyday people. Iowa CCI has been a leading force in opposing Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed $8.5 billion carbon-capture pipeline, which would annually consume an estimated three billion gallons of water from Iowa’s aquifers and threaten the state’s air, soil, and water quality. The organization has mobilized citizens to submit over 700 public comments to the Iowa Utilities Board, voicing concerns about the pipeline’s safety risks, environmental impact, and the use of eminent domain for private gain. Iowa CCI has also been at the forefront of opposing Senate File 394, legislation that seeks to protect pesticide manufacturers from litigation related to cancer claims and to rob Iowans of their right to hold companies accountable for environmental pollution. A diverse and community-driven group, Iowa CCI is uniting and organizing Iowans to create the change they want to see in their state.
Iowa CCI members speak out against Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed carbon-capture pipeline. Photo: Iowa CCI