Four Iowa entities will share a total of $200,000 in grants approved recently by the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA). The funding from the State Housing Trust Fund’s Project-Based Program, which provides financing for the development of affordable single-family and multifamily housing units, will benefit the Burlington Area Homeless Shelter, the city of Harlan, Pella-based Habitat for Humanity of Marion County Inc. and Iowa Legal Aid. Each organization will receive $50,000 in grant money. To date in fiscal year 2010, the program has provided $250,000 in funding to Iowa organizations and has leveraged $1.76 in other resources for every dollar it invests.

According to a U.S. Census Bureau report released Thursday, state governments took in nearly $1.7 trillion in total revenues in fiscal year 2008, a 15.8 percent decrease from 2007. By comparison, Iowa took in $15.9 million in revenue in 2008, a decrease of 16.3 percent from fiscal 2007. The largest share of total state revenues came from taxes ($780.7 billion), which made up 46.5 percent of the total. On the expenditure side, total state spending increased 6.2 percent from fiscal year 2007, totaling $1.7 trillion in 2008. Iowa’s expenditures of $16.5 million in 2008 were up 6.9 percent from fiscal 2007.

Casey’s General Stores Inc. raised $500,000 in October to fight childhood cancer. Through the annual St. Jude Halloween Promotion, a month-long fundraiser, thousands of restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores, including Casey’s, encouraged consumers to donate $1 to St. Jude to support its research and lifesaving care. Since it began in 1992, the Halloween Promotion has raised more than $46 million for the children of St. Jude. Despite the economic downturn, the amount raised by Casey’s exceeded last year’s donation by more than 13 percent.

The Chrysalis Foundation, a community organization dedicated to developing strong women and girls in Greater Des Monies through education, grant-making and philanthropy, has announced the recipients of this year’s Chrysalis Grant Awards. Beacon of Life, Bernie Lorenz Recovery, GEEZ! Louise, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, Hawthorn Hill-New Directions Shelter, Iowa Homeless Youth Centers, ISED Ventures, Latinas Unidas por un Nueveo (L..U.N.A.), Mitchellville Theater Project, Shalom Zone Ministries, WeLift (We Learn Independence for Tomorrow) and the Young Women’s Resource Center will be among the organizations honored at 5 p.m. on Dec. 14, at the Des Moines Botanical and Environmental Center.

Steven Patterson, MetaBank’s current Central Iowa market president, has been named as the company’s chief lending officer. Patterson, who has more than 30 years of banking experience, joined MetaBank in October 2008. Tyler Haahr, president and CEO, in making the announcement, said “It is a great pleasure to announce Steve as our chief lending officer in addition to his role as market president. His extensive experience in lending and leadership are a strong enhancement to our Meta management team.” The federally-chartered savings bank’s four market areas include Central Iowa, Northwest Iowa and Brookings and Sioux Falls, S.D.