The employees of GreatAmerica Financial Services have awarded $250,000 to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa, non-profits.

The employee-advised fund, which started in October, places giving decisions in the hands of employees, who vote on which non-profits will receive the awards.

The awards are the first of two giving cycles that will give $500,000 each year to non-profits in addition to the $500,000 awarded from the company's separate donor-advised fund.

Both funds are administered by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

"I am pleased we are able to tap into how our people feel about community giving," said Martin Golobic, co-CEO, GreatAmerica. "We recognize the huge effort from all the non-profits who applied and are exploring the idea of going from two giving cycles to one per year to make it simpler and easier."

In this giving cycle, GreatAmerica employees voted to give awards, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, to Heavenly Peace, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Area Substance Abuse Council, Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, The Arc of East Central Iowa, Catherine McAuley Center, Community Health Free Clinic, Kids First Law Center, Mission of Hope, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Freedom Foundation, Junior League of Cedar Rapids, Matthew 25, Chelsey's Dream Foundation and Discovery Living.

The next round of applications for awards will open in September, according to Matt Doty, GreatAmerica vice president of corporate communications.

Non-profits applying for funding must have a connection with a GreatAmerica employee and be a registered 501(c)(3) organization. The awards focus on four areas: health and human services; arts and culture; environment; and public projects.

GreatAmerica has given about $8.6 million to the community since opening its donor-advised fund in 2001, Doty said.