Who We Are
History
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History 1000 Friends of Iowa began with a small gathering of 23 professionals with diverse backgrounds in land use issues in July 1996. Academics, politicians, conservationists, landscape architects, planners and various non-profits spent an afternoon discussing their views concerning land use in Iowa. This engaged group became the Rural-Urban Stewardship Project (RUSP), but later changed its name to 1000 Friends of Iowa and was incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit in 1998. The first 1000 Friends group was organized in Oregon in 1975. Today there are dozens of similar organizations across the United States on land use issues. Many are members, along with 1000 Friends of Iowa, of the national coaltion, Smart Growth America. Our name reflects our goal of having 1,000 Founding Friends, donating $100 annually, from across the state. If 1000 Friends of Iowa had 1,000 $100 annual donors, an operating budget of $100,000 per year would give us a solid position to continue to promote responsible land use across Iowa. In addition to our education work, we provide members with multiple resources:
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