Prairie Meadows Donates $4,058 to Area515 – Des Moines Maker Space

Community Betterment Grants will help fund Artist Residency and MakerEd programs at the Maker Space

Prairie Meadows recently awarded Area515 two Community Betterment Grants totaling $4,058 to fund arts and education programs in 2018. Prairie Meadows is a nonprofit business dedicated to lessening the burden of government by promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa.

“These grants launch Area515 to a new level of service for makers, new and experienced, in Central Iowa. We are very grateful for Prairie Meadows’ enthusiastic support for the Maker Space and the programs we are now able to provide for the community,” said Bailey Steinfadt, Area515 Board Member.

The first grant will improve the lives of people in Central Iowa by enabling Area515 to support the Artist Residency.  The $2,010 grant will allow the Maker Space to offer five artists or artist groups six months of free membership, training and support on a large variety of tools, and materials to explore and expand their work. The program culminates with a public showcase of the artists’ work. The project is expected to be completed in fall of 2018.

The second grant will improve the lives of middle school students in Central Iowa by helping Area515 to launch their MakerEd program. The $2,048 grant will cover costs to purchase safety equipment and reusable materials for two week long camps and four weekend workshops. Students will learn skills that bring their classroom education to life, such as welding, woodworking, and wearable technology. The project will run from fall of 2018 through summer 2019.

“At Prairie Meadows, we are dedicated to transforming the lives of those living in Central Iowa. We are proud and excited to support these and many other projects in our community,” said Julie Stewart, Prairie Meadows’ Director of Community Relations.

Visit prairiemeadows.com/community and http://area515.org to learn more about these organizations and the causes they support.

About Prairie Meadows

Prairie Meadows began operations as a nonprofit organization in 1989, with the goal of promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa. Through taxes, grants, and charitable donations, Prairie Meadows has given more than $1.7 billion to the state of Iowa. Prairie Meadows offers more than 1,700 slot machines, table games, live and simulcast racing, hotel accommodations, entertainment, and more.