Prairie Meadows’ board of directors has approved $13 million in grants to nonprofits aligned with its mission to support arts and culture, education, economic development and human services. The three Prairie Meadows grant programs aim to strengthen and expand infrastructure and services within the community.

The Prairie Meadows Legacy Grant program awarded 19 grants totaling $4 million for large-scale, signature projects in Central Iowa.

The Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grants went to 234 nonprofit organizations totaling almost $3.7 million to fund small-to-medium sized projects.

The Prairie Meadows Youth Sports and Recreational Grant program provided 23 grants totaling $303,000.

In addition, the Des Moines Airport expansion project will receive a $5 million grant.

“We are proud that we’ve been able to provide much-needed support in our community with these grant dollars,” Prairie Meadows President and CEO Gary Palmer, said in a prepared statement. “Our goal is to be a catalyst that sparks change in our community and improves the lives of our neighbors. The success of these nonprofit organizations is what makes our community a remarkable place to live and work.”

Since 1996, Prairie Meadows’ community betterment contributions have provided more than $2.1 billion to the state of Iowa.

Prairie Meadows and the Polk County Board of Supervisors will co-host a joint Community Impact Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 1 in the Meadows Event Center at Prairie Meadows. The luncheon will recognize the partnership between Prairie Meadows and Polk County that dates back to 1989 and celebrate the organizations that received grant funding from Polk County and Prairie Meadows.