Donate
Charitable donations are critical to our success. With your support, we are able to reach a much broader audience who value the beauty and ecological importance of tallgrass prairies, now and into the future.
Multiplying our impact by hosting Green Iowa AmeriCorps
Friends co-sponsor our participation in Green Iowa AmeriCorps. Serving for terms ranging from three months to two years, members have helped us to develop key publications, coordinate volunteers, manage and promote UNI's Biological Preserves while engaging UNI students, and deliver educational programming for the general public.
Spring Seminar Series
One of the TPC's most important roles is to promote the appreciation of prairie. The Spring Seminar Series, sponsored solely by the Friends of the TPC, promotes wide-ranging discussion of key issues in prairie conservation. Virtual and hybrid in-person seminars are recorded and available for viewing any time.
Assisting with individual prairie projects
The Friends co-sponsor the TPC Help Desk. Staffed by a trusted collaborator with over 30 years of prairie experience, the Help Desk provides one-on-one expert assistance to landowners seeking advice on their prairie projects. We also publish an annually updated list of native seed and service providers, accessed by over 3000 individuals per year.
Upgrading equipment and infrastructure
Upkeep is a never-ending process. Your gifts have put a new roof on the greenhouse, purchase a versatile John Deere gator for field work, and upgrade specialized equipment for prescribed fire and native seed production. Ask us about our ongoing equipment wish list!
Pursuing our vision, courageously
Steady income from our endowment has allowed us to launch the Old Growth Prairies Initiative. Many of these precious, irreplaceable prairies, once teeming with thousands of native species, are overcome by brush and invasive grasses. We participate in the Northeast Iowa Habitat Partnership, boosting the capacity of county conservation efforts throughout the region.
Serving the prairie community
Donors have made it possible for us to serve the larger prairie community by sponsoring important meetings such as the North American Prairie Conference, Iowa Prairie Conference and National Native Seed Conference. We believe it is important to support the development of young conservation professionals by sending students and AmeriCorps members to these meetings.
Support the Tallgrass Prairie Center
Tallgrass Prairie Center Endowed Fund for Excellence
Steady annual earnings from this fund help us to survive unpredictable shortfalls in grant funding, providing security for our highly skilled professional staff. We are also using this fund to partner with county natural areas managers, increasing their capacity to care for precious and irreplaceable old growth prairies.
Friends of the Tallgrass Prairie Center
We use this fund for so many essentials--replacing equipment, hosting Green Iowa AmeriCorps, supporting students' independent research projects, responding to landowners' prairie-related questions, hosting the Restoration and Management Seminar Series, and fostering the development of early-career conservation professionals through travel to meetings.
Daryl Smith Prairie Endowment Fund
UNI’s flagship Biological Preserve, Daryl Smith Prairie, has educated and inspired students since 1973. Proceeds from the endowment are used to conduct prescribed burns and suppress woody species, while offering UNI students an unforgettable experience in prairie stewardship. To designate a gift for the Biological Preserves Entrance Project at Smith Prairie, contact Laura Jackson.
Or, write a check payable to the UNI Foundation, with a note directing it to your preferred fund, and addressed to
UNI Foundation / 121 Commons / Cedar Falls, IA 50614
