About EIOF
Who is EIOF?
Eastern Iowa Outdoors Foundation (EIOF) is a regional nonprofit that turns promising land opportunities into lasting public access.
Working alongside public agencies and community partners, we help align local funding, strategic acquisition, restoration, and long-term protection to move conservation projects from possibility to reality.
Why EIOF?
Eastern Iowa simply does not have enough public land. When high-quality properties become available, the opportunity to secure them for public use can disappear quickly.
EIOF helps Eastern Iowa act while opportunity is still on the table—creating more places to explore, strengthening quality of life, and building lasting value for communities and generations to come.
For more than 25 years Matt McQuillen has served this role, supported by great partners like Twin Rivers and Dubuqueland Pheasants Forever. EIOF will continue that process and provide a platform to build out greater resources (capacity fund and team) to carry on and expand those efforts in Eastern Iowa into the future.
EIOF builds on that proven work with the team, resources, and long-term structure needed to pursue more opportunities and expand public access throughout Eastern Iowa.
The Catalyst
Conservation projects rarely move forward through the efforts of one person or organization. They require landowners, public agencies, conservation groups, community leaders, and private investors to work toward a shared outcome—often within a limited window of opportunity.
EIOF serves as the catalyst that brings those pieces together. We help evaluate opportunities, assemble the right partners, build local support, bridge funding gaps, and coordinate the work needed to move a project from possibility to permanent public access.
The impact continues long after the land is protected. Greater access to nature improves quality of life, helps communities attract and retain people, encourages local investment, and builds a stronger culture of giving. That support creates momentum for the next opportunity—turning each successful project into the foundation for lasting conservation and regional value.
