HOME, Inc. Receives $150,000 Grant from Principal Foundation

HOME, Inc. announced today that it has received a $150,000 grant from Principal® Foundation, a global nonprofit organization committed to helping people and communities build financially secure futures. The contributions will support their Property Development Program for 2 years.

HOME, Inc. is the oldest nonprofit housing organization in Des Moines with the mission to empower their neighbors by helping them overcome the barriers to obtaining and maintaining safe, stable, affordable housing. They do this through education, housing counseling, neighborhood revitalization, and affordable housing development.

“Safe, stable housing is foundational to financial security. That’s why Principal Foundation is proud to support HOME, Inc.’s work to expand access to affordable housing in Des Moines,” said Jo Christine Miles, director of Principal Foundation and Community Relations. “Their efforts go beyond building homes—they help break down barriers to affordable housing, strengthen neighborhoods, and create lasting opportunities for Des Moines residents to build financially secure futures for themselves and future generations.”

This grant and invaluable support from Principal Foundation has been instrumental for HOME, Inc., enabling them to hire a Property Development Coordinator and significantly expanded their property development program, allowing them to build more homes than ever before. This year, HOME, Inc. is excited to announce that they have 12 homes slated for construction - a remarkable achievement that would not have been possible without the support of Principal Foundation. Their investment in HOME, Inc.'s mission has not only strengthened the team, but has also made a profound impact on the community by increasing the availability of affordable housing.

“With the assistance of this grant we hired our new Property Development Coordinator, Kelsey Leahy, last Fall. To say that this was a much-needed position is a massive understatement. Each of the homes that we build, while acting as the general contractor and the developer for, is funded by federal funds that require an extensive amount of compliance paperwork. With 20 plus different contractors per house and 12 houses under construction, Kelsey has been an extremely valuable asset in keeping projects on track, under compliance, and impressively organized. Without Principal Foundation’s grant and consequently without our new Property Development Coordinator, there is no way our small staff would be able to impact the lives of 12 families this year. In short, we are deeply grateful for Principal Foundation’s support and for Kelsey.”  -- Clint Webster, Director of Property Development

Principal Foundation supports a diverse community of 85 charitable organizations across the globe as of August 1, 2024.Through its grantmaking, Principal Foundation ensures access to essential needs, fosters social and cultural connections, and promotes financial inclusion. 

To learn more about what HOME, Inc. is doing in the community and the resources that are available to you, visit https://www.homeincdsm.org.

For more information about Principal Foundation, visit https://www.principalfoundation.org.  

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About HOME Inc.

HOME, Inc. is the oldest nonprofit housing organization in Des Moines. We are a local non-profit that has been serving Des Moines since 1967, when less than a dozen citizens were fed up with all the talk yet lack of action from the Government and took matters into their own hands. It started with a simple idea of families helping families and has now grown into who we are today – a nonprofit HUD certified Housing Counseling Agency and Community Housing Development Organization. We’re very proud of our history of rising to the occasion, and of being nimble and flexible enough to be able to change our programming to deal with the issues that people are facing right now. Our Mission is to empower our neighbors by helping them overcome the barriers to obtaining and maintaining safe, stable, affordable housing. We do this through education, housing counseling, neighborhood revitalization, and affordable housing development.

About Principal® Foundation  

Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc. (“Principal Foundation”) is a duly recognized Section 501(c)(3) entity focused on providing philanthropic support to programs that build financial security in the communities where Principal Financial Group, Inc. (“Principal”) operates. While Principal Foundation receives funding from Principal, Principal Foundation is a distinct, independent, charitable entity. Principal Foundation does not practice any form of investment advisory services and is not authorized to do so. Established in 1987, Principal Foundation works with organizations that are helping to shape and support the journey to financial security by ensuring access to essential needs, fostering social and cultural connections, and promoting financial inclusion. Principal Foundation supports a diverse community of 85 charitable organizations across the globe. – 4562785-062025