Contributed graphic An artist rendering of the fully renovated Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The fundraising committee announced it has received the promised $100,000 grant from the Iowa Native Fund.

The Veterans Memorial Coliseum has received the promised $100,000 grant from the Iowa Native Fund.

It was announced in early December that the Coliseum’s fundraising committee was set to be awarded the grant, but the fund’s suspension of operations in late December caused initial uncertainty.

The fund sent an email to the fundraising committee which assured that the money was still set to be awarded, but a check had not yet been received at the time of the suspension.

In the weeks since, the Coliseum was granted the money, nearly completing the $1.35 million fundraising goal, being used by the Coliseum to renovate after the building was damaged by the 2018 tornado that struck Marshalltown. The total pojected cost of the project is $3.6 million.

Plans for a renovation began in 2017 but were put on hold after significant damage caused by the tornado meant more immediate needs.

Even though the Iowa Native Fund suspended operations in late 2019, which came after it was announced that the fund’s director was making more money than the fund had donated, more Iowa causes were granted money in 2019 than in any of the other years it existed.

“The fact that we will receive one of their last grants shouldn’t overshadow the generosity and impact of what $100,000 means to this project and the community,” City Administrator Jessica Kinser said.

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Contact Shannon Rabotski at srabotski@timesrepublican.com or 641-753-6611.