The grants went to Back to the River Inc., Loess Hills Area Education Agency 13 and the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors.

Iowa West officials announced a commitment of $1.5 million to Back to the River Inc. for the Missouri River pedestrian bridge project with $1 million going to the organization's fundraising drive. An additional $500,000 challenge pledge was issued for a handicapped accessible walkway down to the planned Iowa nature area.

"The pedestrian bridge is an exciting project for the entire area, and the Iowa West Foundation is pleased to be part of it," said Todd Graham, the foundation's executive director and CEO. "The bridge project gets most of the attention, but our education grant and the funding of the CITIES program will have major impacts in the region, as well."

It is the foundation's first funding effort in the creation of the bridge that will connect Downtown Omaha with the Playland Park section of Council Bluffs.

"We weren't investing because of the aesthetics of the bridge," Graham said this morning. "The real benefit is economic development. The Playland Park area right now is underutilized and there are also opportunities to open up the riverfront for recreational activities. There are many benefits, not just investing in an iconic structure."

Lynn Grobe, Iowa West Foundation board president, said he hopes the pedestrian bridge will create more opportunities for area tourism.

"I believe that the pedestrian bridge signifies the energy of the metropolitan region," Grobe said.

Foundation officials also announced a grant of $1.59 million to Loess Hills Area Education Agency 13 to help establish career pathway academies in information technology and medical/health science for high school students throughout southwest Iowa.

Jerry Mathiasen, Iowa West's assistant executive director, said the AEA grant would assist with the development of two of the three program areas to be offered by the career academies.

A little more than $1 million will go toward the academy's Information Technology program, while another $560,000 will be for the Medical/Health Science program. Mathiasen said most of the dollars are targeted for the equipment needs of each program.

The Information Technology program has almost 420 students enrolled, while the Medical/Health Science has another 410 students ready to start in the fall.

Ten regional academies will open their doors this fall to students in Harrison, Cass, Page, Fremont, Mills, and Pottawattamie counties. Part of the money has been designated for operational costs, which would include the salary of the academy director.

The pre-engineering portion of the academy was not designated to receive funding from the grant.

The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors will receive a grant of $1 million for the CITIES (Community Improvements to Increase Economic Stability) fund, which is utilized by rural communities in the county for a variety of infrastructure needs to improve citizens' quality of life and spur economic development.

The CITIES fund was established in December 2004, Mathiasen said, following the creation of a strategic development plan for rural areas of the counties. The Board of supervisors receives the grant that is overseen by an Iowa West subcommittee that also looks at how communities are leveraging the money.

Graham said around $1.8 million already has been found by communities to match the $1 million the foundation is providing in this round. A review of the effectiveness of the program already is underway.

Other second quarter grants from the foundation will be announced in mid-July.